Minister of Rural and Remote Health Cites Placeholder Funding In Out-Year Budgets, But Records Show No Such Amounts Exist
YORKTON – Scott Moe and the Sask. Party either don’t have a clue on the costs or completion timeline for the desperately needed new Yorkton Hospital — a project the government promised to deliver 14 years ago — or they’re willfully hiding those details from the public.
CARLA BECK’S TEAM DEMANDS FAIR WAGES FOR CONTINUING CARE AIDS AMID STAFFING CRISIS
CCAs in Saskatchewan currently earn a maximum wage of just $24.84 per hour — more than $3 per hour below the national average. Even more concerning, these frontline workers have not seen a wage increase in four years.
Comparatively, Saskatchewan Health Authority Vice President — and Moe’s former Press Secretary — Jim Billington earned a CCA’s annual wage by March 10 each year.
“Continuing Care Aides are the backbone of long-term care and homecare in this province,” said Nathaniel Teed, Shadow Minister for Labour. “These incredible workers provide essential, hands-on care to seniors and vulnerable residents every single day. Yet this government continues to undervalue their work.”
Stagnant wages are contributing to severe staffing shortages, increased burnout, and declining quality of care across the system. Facilities are struggling to recruit and retain qualified staff, placing additional strain on those who remain.
“You cannot expect to maintain a stable, high-quality care system while paying the lowest wages in Canada,” said Meara Conway, Shadow Minister for Health. “Workers are leaving for better-paying opportunities in other provinces or sectors, and patients are paying the price.”
Beck’s team is urging the government to immediately finalize a deal with healthcare workers that brings CCA wages in line with the national average and implement a retention strategy that actually works.
Conway is also actively working on legislative options to support a better process to avoid frontline healthcare workers going years without a wage increase or contract as the cost-of-living skyrockets.
“Respecting healthcare workers means more than words — it requires fair pay and real support,” Conway. “If this government is serious about fixing the healthcare system, it must start by valuing the people who hold it together.”
“It’s time for change.”
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Yorkton, Swift Current, Moose Jaw And Prince Albert All Saw Job Losses
REGINA – Saskatchewan saw significant job losses in the month of July according to data released by Stats Canada today, impacting communities across the province, while youth unemployment climbed to over 12 per cent.