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SANDY BAY — After more than 20 years in critical care, Saskatchewan nurse Dre Erwin is returning to northern Saskatchewan to take on a permanent primary care role in Sandy Bay while launching new youth mental health initiatives aimed at supporting vulnerable young people in the community.
Erwin, a registered nurse with additional authorized practice (RN-AAP), will return to Sandy Bay on June 8 after temporarily working in a post-anesthesia care unit position in Regina.
The move comes during National Nursing Week and, Erwin said, reflects both a professional and personal calling to return to northern nursing and Indigenous communities.
“This is an incredibly difficult decision, as I am leaving my wife and son in Regina to make this move,” Erwin said. “But the urban system doesn’t always utilize the full scope of an RN-AAP.”
Erwin told SaskToday he missed the land, culture and opportunity to practice in a setting where his specialized assessment and treatment skills can have the greatest impact.
As an RN-AAP, Erwin works under the expanded scope authorized by the Saskatchewan College of Nurses. The role allows nurses to provide advanced care in remote communities, including suturing wounds, prescribing medications through clinical decision tools and managing acute-care situations.
“In remote communities, we are often the primary providers of care,” he said.
Erwin said one of the most rewarding aspects of northern nursing is building relationships within First Nations and Métis communities.
“Up there, nursing is truly holistic,” he said. “Knowing a patient’s history and family background makes providing care more effective. They aren’t just numbers — they become family.”
He added that he hopes to continue learning more about Indigenous languages and traditional ways of life, including hunting, fishing and gathering.
Alongside his return to nursing in Sandy Bay, Erwin has applied for $10,000 in suicide prevention funding to support a youth mentorship initiative centred on therapeutic photography and recreation.
The proposed program would partner with the local school to launch a pickleball league and photography mentorship program focused on mental health and wellness.
Erwin previously founded the Pinehouse Photography Club, an initiative designed to help youth struggling with mental health and addictions. The work later contributed to him receiving the Meritorious Service Medal (Civil Division).
He said therapeutic photography can help young people express emotions they may otherwise struggle to communicate.
“It’s about using the camera to externalize internal feelings,” Erwin said. “By focusing on finding the perfect shot, youth eventually start to see beauty in their day-to-day lives.”
Erwin said some participants in past programs told organizers directly that “photography saved my life.”
The initiative will move ahead regardless of whether the grant funding is approved, though the additional funding would help purchase equipment and support programming said Erwin.
Erwin is currently collecting cameras, gently used running shoes and sports equipment for youth in Sandy Bay, noting many young people lack proper footwear or access to recreational gear.
He credited colleagues from Regina’s PACU unit and businesses including Trench Fitness for supporting the effort through donations and encouragement.
“This is about fitness, mental health and keeping kids active,” he said. “It’s also about building stronger connections between the clinic and the youth.”
Erwin said recruitment challenges continue to affect many northern and remote communities, particularly in health care, education and counselling.
“We often have a hard time recruiting staff to northern rural and remote places,” he said. “Because of these gaps, we have to look at what the community already has and listen to the youth.”
He said the programs are designed to empower youth and build support systems from within the community.
More information about Erwin’s photography and mentorship work can be found through his website.
