Critic releases emergency consultation tour final report on the housing crisis
REGINA - Following an emergency consultation tour on Saskatchewan income support programs and the housing crisis in Saskatchewan, Social Services and Housing Critic Meara Conway released a solutions-based report on her findings and called for a comprehensive housing and poverty reduction strategy.
“Across the board, this Sask. Party government has not stepped up when the chips are down. We find ourselves today in a position where poverty is worse and food bank usage has increased despite a period of economic growth in the province,” said Conway. “What we need to be doing is working with those on the frontlines to find comprehensive solutions. This is what responsible governments do - they consult with those who know best.”
Conway’s Report also emphasizes the significant economic fallout of the current approach: “This patchwork system is far more costly overall due to the expenditure of preventable resources across major systems. If we don’t see immediate course correction from this government, Saskatchewan will continue to see an entrenchment of poverty, and the continued waste of public funds on crisis response rather than prevention.” said Conway.
Conway’s tour involved meetings in Regina, Saskatoon and Moose Jaw, Prince Albert, North Battleford, as well as consultations with Northern, rural, and remote communities where she heard from service providers, income assistance recipients, Ministry of Social Services staff, and landlords. These consultations resulted in a Report on the Housing and Poverty Crisis, outlining solutions to reform income assistance programs and address the poverty and housing crises in Saskatchewan. The Report includes recommendations to:
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Poor working conditions, favouritism, $300K travel nurse pay at issue
REGINA - Today, the Official Opposition released a letter signed by 49 emergency room nurses in Saskatoon. The letter slams the Sask. Party government for failing to support Saskatchewan nurses and curb the province’s reliance on expensive out-of-province travel nurses.
REGINA - Today, Official Opposition Critic for First Nations and Métis Relations Betty Nippi-Albright hosted a Day of Action with Indigenous leaders from Nekaneet First Nation, Yellow Quill First Nation, Waterhen Lake First Nation, Onion Lake Cree Nation, Carry The Kettle First Nation, Key First Nation and the residential school support team from Yorkton Tribal Council. Together, they continue to draw attention to the Sask. Party government’s disregard for the Duty to Consult process.
MOOSE JAW - Today, the Official Opposition stood with Taylor Enns, president of the Moose Jaw Firefighters Association, and Brayden Dutchak, the son of a cancer survivor. Together, they called on the Sask. Party government to reopen Saskatchewan’s only hyperbaric chamber.
Records show former Sask. Party Finance Minister lobbied for Calgary surgery scheme on behalf of a major Sask. Party donor
REGINA - Today, the Official Opposition grilled the Premier and his Minister of Health after the Minister misled the public, claiming that he had not been lobbied by a former Sask. Party MLA when Saskatchewan's official lobbyist logs show the exact opposite.