SASKATOON, Sask. — Premier Scott Moe and Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill acknowledged the current challenges facing Saskatchewan’s health-care system while at the same time highlighting their efforts to improve patient access and expand hospital capacity.
Both officials spoke of this on Tuesday, Oct. 20, during the announcement of 80 new acute-care beds at Saskatoon’s three hospitals — 36 inpatient beds at Royal University Hospital (RUH), 24 at St. Paul’s Hospital and 20 medicine beds at Saskatoon City Hospital.
The announcement, made at Saskatoon City Hospital and attended by other health officials and staff, is part of the provincial government’s broader commitment to add 400 acute-care beds across Saskatchewan.
Moe and Cockrill said it was an important step toward expanding acute-care capacity in the province’s largest city and reflected their government’s ongoing commitment to easing pressure on emergency departments and improving access to timely care.
The premier said the province continues to face significant challenges in meeting the health-care needs of a growing population, particularly regarding hospital capacity and access to primary care, but this is happening across the country.
“We're seeing that across the country, and we're seeing that in some communities here in Saskatchewan, as well. That's the challenge. The question is, what are you going to do to address that challenge?” Moe said, noting that similar pressures are being experienced across Canada.
“What we're seeing here today is part of a 400-bed commitment by this government, given challenging financial times, to make the investment alongside our partners, the Saskatchewan Health Authority, and the community foundations.”
He added that pressure is often felt in emergency departments, where patients face lengthy waits for treatment or admission, and the government’s focus is on finding practical solutions, including expanding hospital capacity and improving access to primary health-care providers.
Moe compared the 400-bed expansion to roughly two hospitals and said it is a significant investment, particularly given the difficult financial circumstances facing governments. He said the additional beds are intended to reduce emergency department wait times and move patients to appropriate hospital care.
Cockrill, meanwhile, emphasized that adding beds is only one part of addressing the province’s health-care challenges and acknowledged that patients sometimes wait too long for care, explaining that emergency departments must prioritize those most seriously ill.
However, he said adding staffed beds should reduce delays once patients are ready for admission. “There really is no finish line, unfortunately, when you get to this type of work,” Cockrill said, stressing that continued investment will be necessary as Saskatchewan’s population grows.
The 20 new medicine beds at City Hospital bring the facility’s medicine-bed total to 60, following the opening of 40 beds in November 2025. The 60 medicine beds are part of a larger, planned 109-bed expansion. All 60 medicine beds are fully staffed. RUH and St. Paul’s are also opening new beds as part of the latest expansion, although recruitment remains ongoing at those facilities.
Cockrill said the expansion will require additional health-care professionals, with more than 150 full-time positions being added at RUH and St. Paul’s to support the new beds. The majority of those positions have been filled, although 39 positions across the two hospitals remained vacant at the time of the announcement.
Both officials said the 80 new beds are a step forward, but added that the goal is to shorten wait times and improve access to hospital admissions. Despite the progress they outlined, both officials acknowledged that continued work will be needed to meet demand and ensure patients receive appropriate care when they need it.
Moe said the additional beds, workforce investments and primary-care initiatives are part of a broader plan to improve access across the province. At the same time, Cockrill emphasized that Saskatchewan must keep investing as its communities grow.
Underlying problem
Associate shadow minister for health Keith Jorgenson said the 80 acute-care beds are a positive step, but warned the expansion will do little to resolve the province’s health-care challenges unless the government addresses staffing shortages, employee retention and contract disputes.
Jorgenson criticized Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill for continuing to highlight bed expansions as conditions in the health-care system deteriorate, with Saskatoon’s emergency departments continuing to face growing pressure, raising questions about whether increasing capacity alone will improve patient access.
“You know, the Minister of Health continues to talk about beds that are being added to [the Saskatoon] City Hospital. And all the time when those beds are being added, we see a continued decline in the health care system. Things are getting worse in the emergency wards here in Saskatoon,” he said.
Jorgenson questioned whether the expansion would meaningfully ease pressure without improvements to staffing and retention, and acknowledged that adding beds was worthwhile.
“So, is it good that beds are being added to the system? Yes. But they won't fix the problems until he addresses staffing, retention, and contract disputes. Sometimes what I see is the frustration,” he said.
