Premier Scott Moe, cabinet grilled by SUMA delegates in Saskatoon

Premier Scott Moe and his cabinet were grilled by delegates at the Bear Pit session on the last day of the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association (SUMA) convention in Saskatoon on Wednesday.

The topics ranged from revenue sharing with municipalities to Saskatchewan Income Support (SIS) payment changes, to personnel shortages in both education and healthcare.

Rick Laliberte, Mayor of Beauval, asked the province why funding for the Northern Teacher Education Program (NORTEP) and the Northern Professional Access College (NORPAC) were cut by the Sask. Party in 2017, and whether they could be reinstated because of the chronic teacher and health care staff shortages affecting northern Saskatchewan.

“These are issues that are facing us today. We can’t fill the nurse positions, we can’t fill the teacher positions,” he said.

Beauval Mayor Rick Laliberte asks ministers why two northern educational programs designed to fill job vacancies were cut, and whether they would be reinstated. (Lara Fominoff/650 CKOM)

Advanced Education Minister Ken Cheveldayoff said the province was looking at several alternatives.

“Certainly we’ll take that suggestion forward, and I’ll consult with my ministry officials and see if there’s some more work we can do in that area,” Cheveldayoff said.

Saskatoon city councillor Robert Pearce wondered whether the province would commit to reducing the number of beds at the city’s Fairhaven emergency homeless shelter, given that a second temporary emergency shelter had opened on April 1.

“Two years ago, promises were made that beds would be reduced in this shelter,” said Pearce, who also asked whether the operator of the Fairhaven shelter would be replaced.

Premier Scott Moe said the need for shelter spaces in Saskatoon had increased, and the province needs to invest in more shelter capacity first.

“At that point, we would consider reducing the size of that ’cause, we need to have these in a way that is controlled to the degree that they don’t have a significant impact on the neighbourhood,” he said.

Moe added that the province would continue to work with the Saskatoon Tribal Council and would not replace the operator of the Fairhaven shelter.

Another question from Village of Sedley Coun. Kelsey Morrison included why the province had not yet signed a childcare agreement with the federal government.

“We’re about a month away from opening (a childcare centre), but we’re concerned that your government’s unwillingness to sign on right now could mean that operational funding will end,” she said.

Education Minister Everett Hindley told her the province would sign the agreement, but didn’t give a date.

“We want to make sure that it’s sustainable, that it’s here for the long term. We know how important it is to communities, families, child care operators, and the highly trained early childhood educators that work as staff in these facilities,” he said.

Federal election talk also made its way into the Bear Pit session, with Maple Creek Coun. Betty Abbott asking Moe his thoughts on Liberal leader Mark Carney’s suggestion that Canada was one economy, rather than 13 separate economies.

“I have no idea what that means. For that matter, I don’t have a lot of understanding of a lot of things that have came (sic) out of the Liberal party over the last nine years,” he answered to applause.

Moe conceded that it looked like Carney could become the next Prime Minister.

“Unless Jagmeet Singh pulls off some sort of a miracle. He’ll be competing with the Greens for the back seats,” he added.

Moe said whoever wins has a “tremendous” opportunity to unite the country and put aside political ideology.

“If that choice is not made, and that political ideology that we’ve seen in the last nine years continues on into the future, we are going to have a very challenging conversation in this nation,” he continued.

Moe did not elaborate on what that meant.

The four-day SUMA conference began on Sunday and wrapped up shortly after the session concluded.