Moe gov stands by $765,000 booth at COP28 despite Premier Smith going without it
REGINA - Today, Official Opposition Leader Carla Beck and Regina Douglas Park MLA Nicole Sarauer grilled the Sask. Party government for eliminating free parking and issuing tickets at Regina emergency rooms.
“As if visiting the emergency room wasn’t stressful enough, the Moe government has decided to make it significantly worse,” said Beck. “No one should have to leave the emergency room with a broken collarbone and a parking ticket. Are our public finances really so mismanaged that we need to top up revenues by ticketing our friends and family when they’re at their most helpless?”
Late last week, the Official Opposition spoke to staff at the General and Pasqua Hospitals. They confirmed that people who are sick, injured or dying will now have to pay for parking when they visit a Regina emergency room, something that has been provided free of cost for years.
The Minister of Health confirmed today that the change was quietly made last month.
“I don’t know if the Moe’s Minister of Health truly grasps how ridiculous this is. If your life's on the line and you have to see a doctor immediately, there’s little chance that fee is being paid, even if you have family with you,” said Sarauer. “When people are at their most stressed and vulnerable, they shouldn’t be forced to pull out a credit card in a packed waiting room and download a whole new parking app.”
During question period, the Moe government also defended the trip to the COP28 climate change retreat in Dubai. Moe’s trip has yet to begin and it is already shaping up to be the most expensive in Saskatchewan’s history. The Moe government purchased booth #43 for $765,000. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and her delegation are going without a booth.
-30-