Regional group New North is dissatisfied with how little northern Saskatchewan issues have come up during the provincial election campaign. The group has released a list of key issues it wants to see the next government resolve.
The northern community organization issued a list of recommendations for provincial party leaders and candidates Oct. 14, including remarks from Creighton Mayor Bruce Fidler, the chair of New North.
The recommendations include calls for new measures on northern and remote healthcare. The group argues that COVID-19 has shown northern healthcare desperately needs improvement.
“While the COVID-19 pandemic brought attention to the poor health outcomes of northern residents and heightened the concern of leaders and authorities in the north, all that seems to have been forgotten come election time as the north appears to be mostly off the radar this election campaign, if the party platforms are anything to go on,” reads the the New North recommendations.
“When COVID-19 began, we instinctively knew this was bad news for us because of the widespread presence of vulnerable populations and poor health indicators. People began to agitate for lockdowns. So why isn’t addressing these poor health outcomes in northern Saskatchewan a specific part of any party’s platform?” Fidler is quoted as saying in the statement.
Another recommendation comes on the issue of suicide in remote communities. Northern communities, especially First Nations communities, report much higher rates of suicide than other communities in Saskatchewan. The NDP has pledged to spend $5 million on suicide prevention if elected, while the Saskatchewan Party has pledged to spend $1 million - but neither have stated where exactly that money will go.
“The north has suicide rates two or three times higher than in the rest of the province, so why aren’t the parties specifically targeting the north with this funding?” said Fidler in the statement.
The recommendations also tie poor health outcomes to a lack of economic opportunity - New North asked specifically for parties to work with communities to create job strategies.
Other recommendations from New North include recruiting addictions support workers, expanding alcohol and addictions support services, creating a task force for northern economic development and a special provincial ministry for northern Saskatchewan affairs, restoring a funding program for winter community maintenance and restoring funds to the Northern Teacher Education Program (NORTEP), among others.
When asked during the Creighton town council meeting Oct. 14 - the final meeting before the provincial election - Fidler said he had two main priorities for Creighton in the recommendations.
“Economic development and job creation,” he said.
Fidler also said that northern authorities should not need to reach out to the candidates to present northern issues - that candidates should consult communities near election time.
“They should be coming to see us,” he said.
When asked if any of the three candidates running in the Cumberland constituency - NDP incumbent Doyle Vermette, Saskatchewan Party challenger Darren Deschambeault and Green candidate Aaron Oochoo - had reached out to him, Fidler shook his head.
The northern community organization issued a list of recommendations for provincial party leaders and candidates Oct. 14, including remarks from Creighton Mayor Bruce Fidler, the chair of New North.
The recommendations include calls for new measures on northern and remote healthcare. The group argues that COVID-19 has shown northern healthcare desperately needs improvement.
“While the COVID-19 pandemic brought attention to the poor health outcomes of northern residents and heightened the concern of leaders and authorities in the north, all that seems to have been forgotten come election time as the north appears to be mostly off the radar this election campaign, if the party platforms are anything to go on,” reads the the New North recommendations.
“When COVID-19 began, we instinctively knew this was bad news for us because of the widespread presence of vulnerable populations and poor health indicators. People began to agitate for lockdowns. So why isn’t addressing these poor health outcomes in northern Saskatchewan a specific part of any party’s platform?” Fidler is quoted as saying in the statement.
Another recommendation comes on the issue of suicide in remote communities. Northern communities, especially First Nations communities, report much higher rates of suicide than other communities in Saskatchewan. The NDP has pledged to spend $5 million on suicide prevention if elected, while the Saskatchewan Party has pledged to spend $1 million - but neither have stated where exactly that money will go.
“The north has suicide rates two or three times higher than in the rest of the province, so why aren’t the parties specifically targeting the north with this funding?” said Fidler in the statement.
The recommendations also tie poor health outcomes to a lack of economic opportunity - New North asked specifically for parties to work with communities to create job strategies.
Other recommendations from New North include recruiting addictions support workers, expanding alcohol and addictions support services, creating a task force for northern economic development and a special provincial ministry for northern Saskatchewan affairs, restoring a funding program for winter community maintenance and restoring funds to the Northern Teacher Education Program (NORTEP), among others.
When asked during the Creighton town council meeting Oct. 14 - the final meeting before the provincial election - Fidler said he had two main priorities for Creighton in the recommendations.
“Economic development and job creation,” he said.
Fidler also said that northern authorities should not need to reach out to the candidates to present northern issues - that candidates should consult communities near election time.
“They should be coming to see us,” he said.
When asked if any of the three candidates running in the Cumberland constituency - NDP incumbent Doyle Vermette, Saskatchewan Party challenger Darren Deschambeault and Green candidate Aaron Oochoo - had reached out to him, Fidler shook his head.
