Beck is directly warning Scott Moe that the program closure will add further chaos to Saskatchewan healthcare, which is already in worst shape than ever, and limit access to trained workers.
In a letter circulated Wednesday, a Saskatchewan Health Authority researcher writes, “At a time when our province is actively trying to recruit and sustain a healthcare workforce, closing the HIM program weakens a local workforce pipeline that supports health system operations, privacy, data quality, planning, and digital transformation.”
“Closing the program affects not only one occupation, but a broad set of services and improvement efforts that depend on accurate, secure, and usable health information.”
The HIM program is the only diploma in Saskatchewan accredited by the Canadian Health Information Management Association. Cutting it eliminates the province’s only direct training pathway for certified professionals.
Beck says the closure is a direct result of years of underfunding and poor planning.
“The Moe government has pushed Saskatchewan Polytechnic into making cuts like this,” Beck said. “At a time when the healthcare system is struggling to find staff, eliminating a program that trains vital health system workers makes no sense. We should be expanding training capacity, not cutting it.”
The official says the decision to cut the program will force the province to rely even more on recruitment from out-of-province, which would likely increase costs to the system.
“This program helped people train and stay in Saskatchewan — cutting it makes that harder,” said Tajinder Grewal, Shadow Minister for Advanced Education. “We can’t have a strong health system without a strong Sask Poly.”
Since 2025, more than 110 positions have been cut at Saskatchewan Polytechnic and more are expected this spring.
In a news release, one of the union’s representing the workers called for a halt to further cuts saying they are impacting programs, displacing students, and creating recruitment challenges.
SGEU also took aim at the massive salaries of Sask Poly’s senior leadership.
“Saskatchewan students and our health system can’t afford more cuts like this,” Grewal added. “Clearly, it’s time for change.”
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