Moe defends proximity of $500 cheques, byelection call

On Monday, Premier Scott Moe called the byelection for the Saskatoon Meewasin seat, which has been officially vacant for nearly two months.

The call also came exactly one week after Moe announced on Twitter the $500 affordability tax credit.

However, Moe doesn’t feel the two being so close together was convenient or opportune timing. He said the first-quarter report comes out every year at the end of August.

“We were anxious to communicate to people the measures that we had put in place, not only on affordability but on debt reduction,” said Moe.

What doesn’t happen every year, said Moe, is a seat being open for a byelection.

“We believe that it is important to have an MLA for the folks of Meewasin in the legislative assembly when it reconvenes here this fall,” said Moe.

The premier did say his party will be talking about its four-point affordability plan during the byelection campaign.

“We always run on the policy that we have put forward as a Saskatchewan Party and as a Saskatchewan Party government. That’s quite frankly unlike the NDP, who quite often will run away from their record of years gone by,” he said.

The byelection is set for Sept. 26. The start of the fall sitting is set for a month later, on Oct. 26.

The Saskatoon Meewasin seat was vacated by former NDP Leader Ryan Meili, who announced his resignation on the final day of the spring session.

Health care

While speaking on the byelection, Moe was asked about the affordability plan and why — with an extra $1.8 billion in unexpected resource revenue projected for the year — the province didn’t put any of that money into health care or education.

Moe pointed to an announcement he said would be coming next week from the two health ministers, Paul Merriman and Everett Hindley. Moe said the two will reveal a “nation-leading plan.”

“(It’s) on how we are going to continue to recruit and retain not only nurses but lab techs and other disciplines as well as ensure that we are training the appropriate amount moving forward and, where necessary, look at the incentive packages we have and possibly adding to those,” said Moe.

According to the premier, the problem leading to the rest of the problems being experienced in health care right now is a lack of staff.

“Everyone wants the same thing. Everyone wants to ensure that the services in our health-care facilities across the province, including here in Saskatoon, are being offered. And the way to do that is to hire more staff,” he said.

Moe said the ministers are announcing the plan as soon as they were able to put it together.

“They’ve been working diligently with a number of associations and groups across the province, putting some detail together as to where we are going with respect to health-care recruitment, and in particular on those topics of retention, recruitment, training and incentivizing positions,” said Moe.

Moe said in many cases, the funding for the staff has already been allocated; they just don’t have the people yet.

— With files from 650 CKOM’s Libby Giesbrecht