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01-11-2022
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Revised 2022 SARM Midterm Convention Resolutions
Please see the revised listings below of resolutions submitted for this midterm convention. please note that addition of resolution #26-22M.
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SARM in Ottawa
Key meetings included the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra, representatives from the office of Rural Economic Development, the Saskatchewan Conservative Caucus, various MPs, senators and opposition members, and more.
The SARM team also got an opportunity to take in question period.
Those who made the journey and attended over two dozen meetings in Ottawa
on October 25, 26 and 27th:
- SARM President Ray Orb
- Vice President Bill Huber
- Director for Division 1 Bob Moulding
- Director for Division 6 Darwin Whitfield
- RMAA President Guy Lagrandeur
- SARM Executive Director Jay Meyer
- SARM Manager of Policy and Research Brian Rakochy
- SARM Policy Analyst Alicia Bay, and
- SARM Policy Administrator Deanna Nichols
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SARM Executive had a chance meeting with a friendly face at YQR on their way to Ottawa. Alanna Koch, Board Chair of the Global Institute for Food Security took the time to chat about food security and rural Saskatchewan. | |
SARM Priorities
Read the fall 2022 priority information sheets that SARM took to Ottawa.
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Saskatchewan's Health Human Resources Action Plan is Seeing Success
The Saskatchewan Health Human Resources (HHR) Action Plan is showing solid progress on important initiatives that are directly addressing challenges experienced in the health sector, such as staff recruitment.
Recruitment and retention of health care staff is critical and directly connected to providing safe, reliable and accessible services to Saskatchewan people, including acute and emergency care.
Progress is being made under each of the four pillars of Saskatchewan’s Health Human Resources Action Plan:
Recruit
- The Saskatchewan Health Authority has received over 3,500 applications for the positions the province is looking to recruit to from the Philippines.
- Nearly 400 applications have been received following a call for Internationally Educated Health-care Professionals (IEHPs) from Saskatchewan and Canada who may qualify for future training or employment in the province, with nearly 30 applications received from Ukrainian newcomers including three physician candidates.
- Four new health system navigators will come onboard in November to assist in the recruitment and retention of internationally educated health care workers.
- Later this fall, provincial government officials will lead a health care recruitment mission to the Philippines to promote available work opportunities. This will include signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Government of the Philippines on the recruitment of Filipino health care professionals, as well as recruitment and hiring events for prospective candidates.
- A traditional and social media campaign has begun in the Philippines. The largest media outlets have published news of Saskatchewan's recruitment efforts and a Facebook post reached over 75,000 people in one day.
Train
- As of September, 150 new training seats were introduced and successfully implemented, including:
- 10 nurse practitioner training seats – five in the collaborative nurse practitioner program jointly delivered by Saskatchewan Polytechnic and the University of Regina and five in the University of Saskatchewan nurse practitioner program;
- 124 registered nursing seats – 62 in the Saskatchewan Polytechnic/University of Regina collaborative program and 62 in the University of Saskatchewan program; and
- 16 registered psychiatric nursing seats in the Saskatchewan Polytechnic program.
- To support training and retaining physicians, residency seats at the College of Medicine have been expanded by eight for a total of 128.
- The number of seats for the Saskatchewan International Physician Practice Assessment (SIPPA) program has increased to 45 seats.
Incentivize
- Applications are now open for the new incentive program of up to $50,000 over three years for a return-of-service agreement to attract new employees to targeted positions in rural and remote areas which will benefit up to 115 new healthcare workers.
- The Ministry of Health is seeing increased interest in the clinical placement bursary program, with 105 clinical bursaries approved this year, the highest number in more than four years.
Retain
- The SHA recently completed the posting of 125 new, full-time, frontline health care positions and over 50 existing part-time positions which are being enhanced to full-time. These new and enhanced positions span 49 communities across the province. These opportunities have been promoted to thousands of professionals both within and outside of Saskatchewan on social media.
- The SHA is developing new mentorship and additional peer-to-peer well-being and resiliency programming.
- The SHA is continuing to work collaboratively with First Nations and Métis health to build engagement, with five sessions held in October.
- The SHA committed to hire up to 450 Métis citizens over the next five years who have completed training with the Gabriel Dumont Institute health care program.
Details on health-care opportunities and how to access them and more information on the province’s Health Human Resources Action Plan are available at a dedicated website saskatchewan.ca/HHR.
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2022 Speech From the Throne: Growth That Works for Everyone
A new session of the Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly opened today with the Speech from the Throne, delivered by Lieutenant Governor Russ Mirasty.
The speech cited recent examples of growth that works for everyone, like the affordability plan announced in August and the new Health Human Resources Action Plan to add 1,000 health care workers in Saskatchewan, announced in September.
Projects and initiatives outlined in the Throne Speech include:
- a new in-patient joint replacement facility in Regina, expected to begin operations by the end of 2023;
- signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation for a new Saskatoon Urgent Care Centre;
- creation of 200 new Educational Assistant positions in school classrooms;
- creation of a new centralized online learning model to ensure all students can enroll in any course offered in the province, regardless of where they live;
- funding for the Dene Teacher Education Program at the First Nations University of Canada and for scholarships for up to 25 students to study Indigenous languages;
- continuing work on the Saskatchewan Polytechnic's Saskatoon Campus Renewal Project, expected to be located in the vicinity of the University of Saskatchewan and Innovation Place;
- signing of the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, along with the federal government and all provinces and territories;
- increased veterinary training seats;
- opening of a Saskatchewan new trade office in Germany, joining trade offices in eight other countries that do significant business with Saskatchewan;
- continued support for nearly 2,000 Ukrainians displaced by the Russian invasion, who now call Saskatchewan home;
- continued expansion of rural internet service by SaskTel;
- development of 700 more megawatts wind and solar power generation in south-central Saskatchewan by SaskPower;
- partnering on two First Nations solar projects;
- continued planning for small modular nuclear reactors, with Estevan and Elbow identified as potential sites;
- creation of a made-in-Saskatchewan carbon offset credit program;
- partnering with the Saskatoon Tribal Council and Regina Treaty/Status Indian Services on projects to address homelessness;
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introduction of The Accessible Saskatchewan Act to identify and remove accessibility barriers for those living with a disability;
- an increase of $7.5 million in the current year to the $10 million Creative Saskatchewan Feature Film and Television Grant Program, which is already fully subscribed on 13 film and television productions;
- legislation to allow municipalities to designate areas for safe consumption of alcohol in parks; and
- exiting the retail liquor market and expanding opportunities for independent retailers.
In this session, the government will also take steps to protect and defend Saskatchewan's economic autonomy, industries and jobs from unwarranted federal intrusion and constitutional overreach. These include:
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introducing The Saskatchewan First Act, to clearly define and defend Saskatchewan's exclusive jurisdiction over natural resources and its economic future within the Canadian Constitution;
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amending the province's Constitution by amending The Saskatchewan Act to state that Saskatchewan continues to retain exclusive jurisdiction over its own natural resources;
- continuing to press for greater provincial control over immigration, as has long been guaranteed to Quebec; and
- introducing legislation enabling Saskatchewan to collect its own corporate income tax.
The Throne Speech also contains a number of measures to enhance public safety and reduce crime. These include:
- creation of the Saskatchewan Marshalls Service to work with the RCMP and other police services to enhance law enforcement throughout the province;
- adding eight new officers to the Warrant Enforcement and Suppression Team in Prince Albert;
- adding a new Crime Reduction Team in North Battleford;
- continuing discussions with the Prince Albert Grand Council and the federal government about the creation of a self-administered First Nations police services; and
- continuing to crack down on the illegal use of firearms while at the same time defending the rights of lawful and law-abiding gun owners.
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IMPORTANT: Discontinuing SARM’s Election Reporting Website
In 2014, SARM launched a real-time, online election reporting website for rural municipalities to publicly post their candidates and results of the rural municipal elections.
SARM has noticed a declining trend of those using the site over the last 5 years.
As the need for real-time reporting around elections continues to be a priority, SARM has decided to cease use of the SARM Elections Reporting website.
Over the past 5 years, RMs have been asked to submit and update records and moving forward SARM will instead look to partner with the Ministry of Government Relations to share the mandatory election results they already collect from RMs. This will result in less work for the RMs and streamline this process moving forward.
If you have questions, please reach out to SARM’s Strategic Engagement and Communications team.
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Saskatchewan Enhances Student Loan Repayment Assistance | |
The Government of Saskatchewan is helping address the rising cost of living for student borrowers by enhancing the Repayment Assistance Plan. On November 1, the Saskatchewan Student Aid Program and Canada Student Financial Assistance Program are introducing enhancements that will improve affordability of student loan repayment and streamline repayment processes.
Enhancements to the Repayment Assistance Plan will make repayment more affordable for approximately 4,000 Saskatchewan student borrowers annually by:
- increasing the zero-payment threshold for single borrowers from $25,000 to $40,000;
- aligning repayment income thresholds for larger households with the Canada Student Grant income thresholds;
- adjusting repayment income thresholds annually to account for inflation; and
- reducing the monthly student loan payment cap from 20 per cent of a borrower's family income to 10 per cent.
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This year, the Government of Saskatchewan will provide over $102.6 million in financial assistance to more than 20,000 students. Students can apply for a number of government supports, including scholarships, bursaries and grants, and may also be eligible for the Graduate Retention Program, which provides up to $20,000 in income tax rebates to those who live and work in Saskatchewan after graduation.
For more information about Saskatchewan Student Aid, visit: www.saskatchewan.ca/residents/education-and-learning/student-loans. .
Student borrowers can learn more about the Repayment Assistance Program by contacting the National Student Loans Service Centre.
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Facilitating Independence: Support to Age Well at Home
More than 90% of seniors live independently in their own communities and would prefer to age in place. Supportive services, such as home maintenance, yard care, home-based health services, transportation, meal preparation and friendly visiting services allow seniors to remain independent at home as needs change.
The Saskatchewan Seniors Mechanism (SSM) is working with the Ministry of Health to learn more about innovative, sustainable models of support that would enable older adults to remain in their homes. To do this, approximately $200,000 in total will be available to municipalities and senior-serving groups for project funding of up to $20,000 each. Projects must take place in 2023. Individuals are not eligible to apply for the grants.
Grant applications will be accepted until November 25, 2022.
For additional information including the application process, eligibility criteria, and timelines, please visit the SSM Website at: www.skseniorsmechanism.ca.
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The 2023 Agriculture Student Scholarship is Accepting Applications | |
Applications are now being accepted for the 2023 Saskatchewan Agriculture Student Scholarship Program.
This year's theme is 'farming and the environment.' Applicants of the scholarship are encouraged to explore the idea of environmental sustainability within farming and the importance of public perception on modern farming practices. Applicants should focus on progressive environmental practices conducted by producers and the importance of relaying that message to the public to enhance trust in the industry.
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Students are invited to submit a creative three-minute video or 1,000-word essay discussing farming and the environment. Scholarships will be awarded to students in Grade 12 and/or recent graduates entering agriculture-related post-secondary studies in 2023. One winning scholarship of $4,000 and three runner-up scholarships of $2,000 will be awarded.
The deadline for applications is March 1, 2023.
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