Health Care Concerns Dominate

For each time that I have sat down to write my report to you my employers – the constituents of Swift Current – there have been only a few occasions when health care was not the number one issue at our constituency office.

This month is no exception.  Local health care professionals and the general public have expressed concern about the costs of day surgery renovations to a hospital that is to be replaced in 2006.  Constituents certainly understand that it is important to have a suitable facility in the interim; however, with finances for the new facility as precious as they are, concerns about investments in the current facility are understandable.

My office has contacted the health district to request a detailing of measures taken to minimize the investment in the old facility while still meeting appropriate standards.  Anyone interested further in this issue should contact my office.  I will share the response when I receive it.

Health Care Staffing Cuts

We have also fielded numerous concerns from health care workers and patients alike regarding recent cuts to front line staff.   While we are still trying to confirm the actual numbers, there are reports that six licensed practical nurses and ten registered nurses have lost their jobs in Swift Current.    How these cuts jibe with the ongoing shortage of health care professionals is a question on the minds of many health care workers and Saskatchewan people.  My office has asked the region for an account of the overtime costs with the current compliment of staff.

Agriculture

With the BSE crisis ongoing and the race to harvest the crop (in significant parts of the province that race may have been lost due to recent frost), agriculture remains a huge issue in our province.

The Official Opposition has recently called on the government to keep its full funding commitment to the federal CAIS program. Like any program, this one is far from perfect, but early this year we congratulated the former Agriculture Minister, Hon. Clay Serby, for negotiating a commitment from his federal counterpart on covering negative margins and increasing the program funding cap.  Subsequently, the current Minister, Hon. Mark Wartman has refused to commit the province to its full share of the program even in the wake of this agreement.

For the purposes of future negotiating credibility with the federal government and the need for full support for agriculture at a time when it needs it most, our Agriculture Critic Lyle Stewart recently called on the provincial NDP to remedy this situation.

SaskPower Rate Hikes

The Official Opposition has also spoken out against SaskPower’s request for a rate increase.  SaskPower recorded near-record profits of approximately $187 million in 2003 and was then required by the provincial government to pay a dividend to the general revenue fund of nearly $169 million.  Now, SaskPower has indicated that its rates must be raised to offset higher costs for fuel and purchased power (ie. natural gas) and to fund upgrades for SaskPower’s aging infrastructure.  Also of concern is the fact that SaskPower intends to increase rates before having its request reviewed by the Saskatchewan Rate Review Panel. 

Swift Current and Saskatoon To Be Hit Hard By NDP Rate Hike

Decades ago the City Councils of Swift Current and Saskatoon had the foresight to refuse to sell their electrical utility to the government through SaskPower. As a result these utilities have generated significant revenues for their respective municipalities relieving pressure on the local tax base and employing local people.

I know from previous direct experience that SaskPower would rather these two locally owned utilities were part of SaskPower.  The recent rate hikes announced by the government would seem to penalize these two municipalities and other large customers of SaskPower even more so than other customers.  The announcements were made with no prior consultation, even though our City is bound by its own bylaws in terms of required advanced notice for any increases.  The reasons for the increase seem thin indeed in light of the $180 million plus in profits recorded by SaskPower just last year.

The Official Opposition will continue to work on this issue on behalf of all ratepayers as well as the Cities’ of Saskatoon and Swift Current.  Please consider adding your voice to those concerns at the Rate Review Panel hearings or by contacting the Minister of SaskPower, Hon. Frank Quennell at Room 355, Saskatchewan Legislature, Regina SK, S4S 0B3.

If you have any concerns, suggestions or questions regarding the provincial government, please feel free to contact us.