It was a particularly eventful day for Battlefords in the legislature Tuesday, Nov. 12.
Battlefords MLA Herb Cox had plenty to say that afternoon. He recognized a couple of individuals in the gallery who were there in recognition of work of Boys and Girls Clubs in the province. First, Cox welcomed Battlefords Boys and Girls Club executive director Nicole Combres.
Mr. Cox: —… I’ve had occasion to work with Nicole on numerous times and visit our great Boys & Girls Club up there. She does such a wonderful job in making an inviting environment for so many children and youth that need some activities after school and other help. So I just ask all members to thank Nicole for what she does and welcome her to her Legislative Assembly.
Later, he welcomed RCMP Staff-Sgt. Darcy Woolfitt.
Mr. Cox: —… Give us a wave up there, Darcy. Darcy is a staff sergeant with our Battlefords detachment of the RCMP [Royal Canadian Mounted Police], and we certainly thank him for what he does each and every day in The Battlefords. But he’s here today with the Battlefords Boys & Girls Club. Darcy’s been a long-time board member and Chair of our Boys & Girls club, does tremendous work in our community both in minor sports and in other endeavours. He’s been a great citizen of The Battlefords…
Cox later presented a petition signed by the “citizens of North Battleford”:
Mr. Cox: —I would like to read the prayer:
We, in the prayer that reads as follows, respectfully request that the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan take the following action: to cause the Government of Saskatchewan to take the necessary steps to stop the federal government from imposing a carbon tax on this province.
With Combres and Woolfitt in the gallery, Question Period got under way. Quickly, the woes at the new Saskatchewan Hospital North Battleford came up again.
Opposition critic Vicki Mowat grilled Minister of Central Services Ken Cheveldayoff on the topic in an exchange recorded in Hansard.
Ms. Mowat: — Mr. Speaker, this government has done its best to keep a lid on the problems inside Sask Hospital North Battleford, but the truth is leaking out. Staff fear losing their jobs if they speak out, but their union has spoken to the media about the concerns they’re hearing, including water leaks in the walls unrelated to the roof leaks, issues with drainage, and other problems that have delayed the full opening of the facility.
Last spring we submitted an FOI [freedom of information] for details on the extensive infrastructure issues of the hospital. But those records are held up in the Privacy Commissioner’s office, and we’ve heard it’s because the P3 [public-private partnership] partner is refusing to let SaskBuilds release the documents. Will the minister commit today to releasing the full list of deficiencies at Sask Hospital North Battleford?
The Speaker: —I recognize the Minister of Central Services.
Hon. Mr. Cheveldayoff: —Thank you very much for the question. As the member knows and members in this House know, out of an abundance of caution and to ensure that the health of patients and staff are an utmost priority, a full facility audit has been requested and the process is under way to identify any other deficiencies in the building. I also want to remind members opposite that P3s are an efficient way to invest in large-scale infrastructure projects. They save the taxpayer money and they ensure that the taxpayers aren’t on the hook if there’s any deficiencies such as these. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The Speaker: —I recognize the member for Saskatoon Fairview.
Ms. Mowat: —Mr. Speaker, the former SaskBuilds minister boasted a year ago that “When we get that hospital back in 30 years it’s going to be in like-new condition.” Well we’ve seen what like-new hospital looks like under this government, Mr. Speaker, and there’s not much to like — a leaky roof, faulty insulation, faulty showers, lead in the water. And we’ve also heard that the hospital’s entire electrical system has had to be rewired.
Will this government finally come clean about the full scope of issues with the Sask Hospital build? Or how much stress, uncertainty, and inconvenience are the patients and staff going to have to endure?
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Hon. Mr. Cheveldayoff: —… Thanks very much. And I understand a union member has raised some concerns about various issues. And I want to ensure that the member opposite knows and this House knows that the safety and well-being of the patients, staff, and visitors will continue to be a priority of this government.
And I also remind members opposite that if they were in charge, there wouldn’t be any hospital because they didn’t get around to it. They had a member from that area that was the minister of Health that promised this hospital year after year, time after time, and it never did get completed.
The day of North Battleford in the legislature wasn’t done. Remarks at a recent NDP town hall were raised by education critic Carla Beck as she grilled education minister Gord Wyant.
Ms. Beck: —The minister isn’t clear about what teachers in our province are looking for, he should come with us to one of our town halls, Mr. Speaker. One concerned citizen in North Battleford said this, and I quote:
“Extra resources must be allocated to backfill past failings. It will be difficult and more expensive if we don’t act quickly and correctly. In the future there will be an increased need for adult education.”
Mr. Speaker, quotes like these at every one of the town halls. If we don’t invest in public education now, Mr. Speaker, we’ll have to pay for more and more costs down the road — the costs of illness, poverty, and crime. Will the minister finally admit that funding in our classrooms is a real issue? And instead of these games, Mr. Speaker, will he actually act upon it?
The Speaker: —I recognize the Deputy Premier.
Hon. Mr. Wyant: —Thanks, Mr. Speaker. Well, Mr. Speaker, I never stood on my feet and said resources aren’t important. We’ve talked about the need to make sure that we’re properly resourcing our classrooms. But in order to resource those classrooms properly, Mr. Speaker, you need a plan. You just can’t backfill funding to public education without having a plan in terms of how those funds are going to be allocated to deal with the very real problems that some classrooms are facing.
Mr. Speaker, every school division has different issues. Every classroom has different issues, Mr. Speaker. So we need to make sure that when we resource these classrooms, Mr. Speaker . . . And that’s exactly what I’ve asked this committee to do: to look at the research and to provide some recommendations to me, Mr. Speaker, so that I can have conversations with my colleagues on this side of the House about how we’re going to properly resource that. But we need to resource a plan, not simply a matter of backing a dump truck full of money up to the school divisions, Mr. Speaker, and pouring it in, because that won’t solve the problem.
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