Problems continue to plague Saskatchewan Hospital in North Battleford

Earlier this week it was announced that the Saskatchewan Hospital in North Battleford is facing another issue in a long line of problems that have plagued the hospital since it was built in 2019.

A leaked memo coming from the hospital states the facility is under a “full drinking water advisory” due to complications that arose during a planned flush of their water system.

Written in large red letters on the memo is a note that reads “give (patients) cups of water to brush teeth! Thanks.”

Saskatchewan NDP leader, Ryan Meili, says it was raw sewage that backed up into the water supply causing the latest concerns. However, he believes the root of all of the problems at the Sask Hospital is the Sask Party’s use of a P3 model that used out-of-country companies during construction.

For Meili, this same concern extends to the Sask Party’s recent commitment of $300 million being put towards an expansion of the Victoria Hospital in Prince Albert.

“We do think it is a valuable idea to build a hospital in Prince Albert. It does need a big expansion. The pressure from Northern Saskatchewan and growth in population means that is an appropriate thing to do,” he said.

“But again we should get the best deal and make sure that we are actually doing that wisely by using local companies, by using that Sask-first approach. When we use local companies we get more people employed, those people are spending that money locally, they are paying taxes locally and the companies buy their materials from local businesses.”

Meili commends the staff at the Sask Hospital for making the best of a bad situation, saying “they have been given a lemon… and they are doing their best to make lemonade, but it’s hard.”

“Bravo to them,  but when it comes to the Sask Party and the choices they made to get it to this point I’d like to see some accountability and some real action to solve this problem.