Scott Moe reflects on affordability, health care challenges in 2022 as Sask. continued post-pandemic recovery

Despite the threat of COVID-19 slowing down in 2022, Saskatchewan felt the lasting impacts of the pandemic in the form of financial questions for families and continued health care challenges spurred by backlogs and staff burnout.

In a year-end interview with CTV News, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe is looking ahead to 2023 and beyond, as the province works toward solutions to ongoing health care, affordability and homelessness challenges.

CTV News Regina will air the full interview with Premier Moe on Dec. 28, 2022 at 12:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

After releasing the provincial budget in March, Saskatchewan saw an unexpected but significant rise in resource prices, which helped wipe out the projected $463 million deficit throughout the year.

While commodity prices surged and brought additional revenue to the province, the cost of living increased for Saskatchewan consumers with rising gas and grocery bills at the forefront.

AFFORDABILITY CRISIS

After months of conversation around affordability for Saskatchewan residents, the province announced its Affordability Tax Credit, which would provide a one-time payment of $500 to eligible residents.

Moe said this program was created to take some financial pressure off households in the short term.

“As we are faced with affordability challenges at numerous levels, but the one that we noticed is at our own level or family household level and that's what the tax affordability credit cheques were to help alleviate,” he said.

As projected revenue increased over the course of the year, Moe said the province wanted to prioritize repaying some of the debt incurred over the past two years from COVID-19 response, supports and health care recovery.

“What we tried to do when our financials markedly increased, as we found our way into q1 and q2 of this year was how can we prioritize these dollars to benefit as many Saskatchewan people today and tomorrow as possible,” Moe said.

“The affordability tax credit cheques have largely dominated the conversation around the investments that were made with the markedly improved fiscal situation for the province. But there's a number of other areas where that investment I think, in fairness will be noticed by Saskatchewan families as well.”

While inflation forced some Saskatchewan families to tighten up their budgets in 2022, the situation for those experiencing homelessness became even direr.

Homelessness remained a hot button issue for both municipal and provincial governments in 2022, most notably as the temperature dropped at end the year.

Politicians at both levels agree that further collaboration is needed to address homelessness.

“This is an example of where we need to work very closely, not only with our municipalities, but some of our community based organizations on how are we going to support those that do need a hand up from time to time in our communities,” Moe said.

The premier noted that mental health and addictions supports are also a part of the solution, alongside homelessness initiatives.

The province continued work on a new urgent care centre in Regina in 2022 that will offer 24-hour mental health and addictions supports. The facility is expected to open in mid-2023. Another centre is in development in Saskatoon.

“Those will have an intake for people that want to make a change in their life and want to enter a rehabilitation program or need a medical health professional, for example that is providing mental health supports,” Moe said.

In addition, the province announced funding for 60 emergency shelter spaces in Prince Albert, Saskatoon and Regina.

“There's more work that needs to be done. And I would suggest that it's collaborative work that needs to be done with the provincial government involved.”

SASKATCHEWAN STABBING ATTACKS

Saskatchewan was the focus of the world in September after stabbing attacks in and around a northern First Nations community left 11 people dead.

Myles Sanderson, 32, was responsible for all 11 deaths on the James Smith Cree Nation and in Weldon, Sask., according to RCMP.

Sanderson died in police custody after going into medical distress shortly after his arrest on Sept. 7.

Moe said the incident highlighted areas where the province could improve on further mental health and addictions supports and community safety.

“I talked about the rehabilitation opportunities, we have to have those available so that when an individual makes a choice to make a change in their life, that we actually have the capacity to accept them,” Moe said.

“We're working feverishly on that we have more work to do in that space and to clean up really where those entry points are.”

On community safety, the premier said the province’s newly announced marshal’s service will support municipal police forces and RCMP.

The Saskatchewan Marshal Service will consist of 70 officers and is expected to be operational by 2026. Moe said the service will be directly accountable to the province.

“We are going to be setting up this provincial arm of a police force that will work closely with the RCMP and support the RCMP, will work closely with the municipal police forces that we have and support those municipal police forces but also will be responsive to the people of Saskatchewan,” Moe said.

The province also signed an agreement with the federal government and the Prince Albert Grand Council to collaborate on community-oriented ways to deliver police services.

“To expand the opportunities for community Indigenous policing services to work, we have the model with File Hills and we'll look at replicating that in other communities as well,” Moe said.

“We are going to see a shift in our effort to provide safer communities for families that are living in this province.”

The premier emphasized the marshals service is not meant to replace existing police services.

“What the marshals are there to do is to ultimately make strides towards safer communities by supporting both of these other entities that are already operating in the province,” he said.

HEALTH CARE SHORTAGES

Health care shortages throughout the industry were a pressure point for jurisdictions across Canada, following years of burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Several areas of health care were highlighted and brought to the forefront of news coverage in 2022, including shortages of registered nurses, family physicians and paramedics.

The trickledown of staffing shortages also continued to affect the surgical backlog and rural health care service disruptions.

The provincial auditor said the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) is anticipating a shortage of more than 2,000 workers in hard to recruit positions over the next five years, in a recent report.

“Thankfully, we have had a number of good years of recruiting and years gone by where we do have more nurses,” Moe said. “We do have more doctors in the province, but it isn't enough and we need more yet today.”

The four-point plan focuses on recruiting, training, incentivizing and retaining health care professionals.

Recently, the health minister returned from a trip to the Philippines where 128 conditional work offers were made to nurses, to come and work in Saskatchewan.

“What that is, is I would say the most ambitious plan that is available in Canada today and it is going to be landing folks here from other countries this calendar year. It's going to be turning out more graduates this year and years into the future,” Moe said.

The premier said SHA and Ministry of Health will need to “double down” on supporting the health care staff that are already working in Saskatchewan facilities.

“To ensure that we are bringing people into our health care centers to offer and support those that are already there to offer the services that people expect,” Moe said.

Moe said he is working with the other provinces to collectively recruit and train health care staff, rather than compete.

“We have a national health care system and I would say, in addition to this, thankfully, and I think it's true across the board, that all of the provinces are making the required investment to find our way through this,” he said.

“It won't happen overnight. It is going to take months into next year.”

PROVINCIAL AUTONOMY

The autonomy and sovereignty of western Canadian provinces was a key topic this year as both Moe and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith introduced legislation aiming to strengthen provincial jurisdiction over Ottawa.

The Saskatchewan First Act aims to help the province assert constitutional jurisdiction over a number of areas, including natural resources.

Moe has stated on several occasions that the provincial government is open to collaborate with the federal government on topics of shared interest.

The premier noted two recent times when the province worked with the federal government successfully in the agreement to bring $10-a-day child care to Saskatchewan by 2025-26, and helping Cowessess First Nation take control of its child and family services.

“Well, I think there's certain points where we entirely disagree with the federal government, but I'd say no, we're not disagreeable with working together on items where we can find some substance,” he said.

If passed, the Saskatchewan First Act will amend the province’s constitution, assert exclusive constitutional jurisdiction, numerate core provincial powers and create an independent economic tribunal.

“We are going to take up our full jurisdictional ability as a province to ensure that we can continue to develop our natural resources develop those jobs that are creating wealth in our communities, and understanding that we are producing these products more sustainably than anywhere else in the world,” Moe said.

FIVE YEARS AS PREMIER

Moe will be entering his fifth year as the leader of the Saskatchewan party and premier of the province in 2023.

Reflecting on his time in office, the premier said his perseverance has grown over the past few years.

“There's a number of things that happen that you most certainly couldn't have anticipated or planned for in any way and so you have to have some faith in yourself and your perseverance to find your way through some of these challenges that we face and face them collectively,” he said.

Moe said after a difficult and divisive past couple of years, it gives him hope to see Saskatchewan residents coming together again.

“I see people you know coming together to start rebuilding on the very foundations of success for this province.”

In a final holiday message, Moe wished the province a Merry Christmas after what he called a “tremendously challenging couple of years.”

“As we look ahead to the next six months, year, three years and five years, we have every opportunity for success in this province, every opportunity to really participate and participate at a much larger level than we ever have before,” Moe said.

“We're seeing investments come into our province, we're seeing opportunities arrive in our communities, and we're going to have the opportunity together to really reinvest those dividends back into the very people that live in Saskatchewan that truly is growth that works for everyone.”