NORTH BATTLEFORD — The Saskatchewan NDP is raising concerns about public safety, affordability and health care in the Battlefords and across the province.
Following North Battleford Mayor Kelli Hawtin's State of the City address in North Battleford on March 11, Saskatchewan NDP Deputy Leader Vicki Mowat spoke to SaskToday about some of her concerns on the topics.
Mowat would like to see a number of changes in the province's new budget coming out on March 18.
She said municipalities have to raise property taxes because of the downloading of responsibilities for many social issues by the province, so she would like to see that addressed.
Mowat would also like to see an expansion of the Police and Crisis Team (PACT) teams in the province, which deal with mental health-related cases.
"We have long advocated for the expansion of the PACT teams, to be able to provide mental health resources in addition to policing, and to get those funded on every shift," she said. "That's the type of advocacy that the Opposition has been bringing forward. It's about making sure that there are appropriate and available policing resources, but it's also about addressing the root causes of crime, and making sure that people have access to food, and housing, and income…"
Mowat is also concerned about the cost of living. She would like to see tax removed from grocery items.
She is also worried about increasing SaskPower and SGI rates.
"The cost of everything is going up, and there's only one taxpayer that's having to fight all these cost pressures," Mowat said. "We've been calling for meaningful investments in affordability, for the government to make life more affordable."
Health care is also important to her, to make sure it is available when and where people need it.
Mowat said there is a need to ensure that people have access to family doctors and services when they need them.
She also wants to see a plan, with teeth in it, to retain and recruit health-care workers.
Battlefords MLA and Saskatchewan Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill said: "It is impossible to take the NDP seriously on issues like public safety, affordability, and healthcare."
In a statement, he said that on public safety, the NDP have opposed the Saskatchewan Marshals Service and have MLAs who have advocated for increased safe supply of drugs and who have been silent on the need for major bail reform in the country.
"Those policy positions won’t make our community safer," Cockrill said. "Our government has made significant investments into municipal police departments, the RCMP (including right here in the Battlefords with investment in targeted teams to address repeat offenders and violent criminals), and the Saskatchewan Marshals Service. We will continue to make investments that keep our communities safe."
On affordability, he said the NDP have asked for the carbon tax to be put back on SaskPower bills "which would affect every household in the Battlefords and right across the province."
"Saskatchewan is the only carbon tax-free jurisdiction in Canada, and we have the second-lowest cost utility bundle across all provinces," Cockrill said.
When it comes to health care, he said the Rural and Remote Recruitment Incentive has been successful in filling more than 500 full-time positions in health care across the province, including nearly 100 positions in the Battlefords.
"The NDP have voted against this incentive time and time again," Cockrill said. "This week, we released our Patients First Health Care Plan which will improve primary care access for Saskatchewan residents and take down the barriers that affect wait times for patients. The NDP have been quick to oppose this plan without offering any solutions of their own."
