Opposition calling for better emergency care on Highway 11

SASKATOON – Opposition New Democrats returned to the health care issue on Friday, calling for action to address emergency care along highway 11 in the province.

At a media event in Davidson, NDP Leader Carla Beck and NDP Associate Health Critic Keith Jorgenson stood alongside Davidson Volunteer Fire Chief Cory Dean demanding better health services in Davidson, located midway between Regina and Saskatoon.

The party noted in a news release that there were numerous occasions last year in which Davidson Health Centre operated with only virtual physicians available — with the use of virtual physicians continuing to be a sore point for the Official Opposition.

“When a hospital on one of Saskatchewan’s busiest highways is left without an in-person doctor, it’s not just inconvenient — it’s dangerous,” Beck said in a statement. “We learned yesterday that two-thirds of Saskatchewan people don’t believe emergency care will be there for them if and when they need it. Scott Moe is the reason we’re in this mess — 18 years of the Sask. Party and we’re in last place in healthcare and we hear every day that things have never been worse.”

Beck pledged that the NDP would invest in emergency care along Highway 11 and right across the province, with the Opposition pointing to how busy Highway 11 is. 

According to the NDP news release, Fire Chief Dean said emergency calls to the Davidson Fire Department had more than doubled over the past five years.

“Highway 11 doesn’t stop. It’s a busy, busy piece of road and it’s a vital highway,” Dean said in a statement. “That’s a lot of what’s happening and people think it’s just the community but it’s not. It’s the whole area, a huge area with a lot of people and I would like to see more provincial funding for rural departments like ours.”

In a statement the Saskatchewan Health Authority said the Government of Saskatchewan continues to prioritize physician recruitment and retention in rural and remote communities through a range of targeted initiatives, including expanded medical residency seats, increased placements through the Saskatchewan International Physician Practice Assessment and introduction of a mentorship and support program.

They add that the introduction of the Virtual Physician program in 29 communities and Point-of-Care Testing in 11 communities across the province "has helped to strengthen emergency services in rural and remote communities. As of the end of January 2026, the Virtual Physician program has helped to avoid more than 5,220 potential emergency room service disruptions province-wide, including more than 240 times in Davidson. As of mid-January, POCT has also helped to avoid 317 service disruptions province-wide."

The SHA also said that in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, they continue  to make progress on a multi-year EMS stabilization plan to strengthen emergency services in several communities, with the government investing almost $18 million for an additional 200 full-time equivalent (FTE) paramedic positions in 68 rural EMS services across the province since 2022-23.