Saskatchewan NDP Leader Carla Beck and a handful of her fellow MLAs opened a new round of provincial health-care consultations in Yorkton on Thursday night, using the first town hall of the series to hear directly from residents who have spent nearly two decades waiting for a replacement to the city’s ageing regional hospital.
The meeting, held at the Gallagher Centre’s National Bank Convention Place, drew a crowd Beck described as engaged, frustrated and “more than ready to see action.”
“We’ve kicked off a health-care consultation around the province — Your Care, Your Say,” Beck said after the event. “Yorkton and the surrounding region have been waiting for a rebuild of their hospital for almost two decades. People want to see it built and they want to know it will meet the needs of today and into the future.”
Beck said staffing shortages were a major theme throughout the evening, with residents raising concerns about the ability to recruit and retain nurses, doctors and lab technicians without addressing broader infrastructure challenges.
Attendees also pointed to wastewater capacity, housing availability and child-care access as barriers to attracting health-care workers. Issues, Beck said, must be part of any long-term planning.
“This community has thought a lot about this hospital,” she said. “They’ve already raised money. They’ve done their part. Now we need to see this hospital built, and that’s something we’ve committed to if we are given the opportunity to form government.”
Beck said the NDP does not intend to repeat what she called “announcement after announcement” without progress. Instead, she argued that beginning consultations now will allow her party to “hit the ground running” should it win the next provincial election.
“I understand why people in Yorkton are frustrated,” she said. “We’ve seen other communities have hospitals announced and built in the time Yorkton has been waiting. People want more than promises. They want results.”
Beck said Monday’s turnout reinforced the urgency of the situation and the importance of hearing directly from residents as the consultation process continues across Saskatchewan.
“This province has been a leader in health care before,” she said. “We’re building the plan to get us there again.”
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