Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself?
A: I’m Mike Topola, the Saskatchewan NDP candidate for Wood River. I am an Advanced Care Paramedic, as well as a basketball and football coach. Over the last few years, I’ve seen how Scott Moe and the Sask. Party’s cuts have impacted rural communities. In 2022, people living through the scariest moments of their lives – the middle of a medical emergency – were faced with a closed emergency room at the Assiniboia Union Hospital. This made me realize that we need a strong voice in Wood River to make sure the care is there when our communities need it.
Q: What do you feel are some of the pressing issues for your constituency in this election?
A: Healthcare is the number one issue I’m hearing from people. People can’t access a family doctor. Our emergency rooms constantly have service disruptions – leaving our residents without the care they need when they need it. It’s ridiculous. You can’t schedule an emergency.
Affordability is also one of the top concerns facing families, as making ends meet at the end of every month becomes harder and harder. Scott Moe and the Sask. Party have made life more expensive by increasing the PST. We’ve got a plan to lower costs by cutting the gas tax on Day 1 and eliminating the PST on groceries and children’s clothes by Christmas.
Q: How would the NDP improve housing in the province?
A: Carla Beck and the Saskatchewan NDP have a plan to protect renters from skyrocketing rental rates and bring 500 government-owned housing units currently collecting dust back to the market in the first year, with the goal of bringing 3,000 units online over the course of 4 years.
Q: What is the NDP's plan for healthcare?
A: Scott Moe has dragged Saskatchewan’s healthcare to last place and Saskatchewan patients aren’t able to get the care they need. It’s time for change. Carla Beck and the Saskatchewan NDP will invest an additional $1.1 billion to hire, train, recruit and retain more healthcare workers to end Scott Moe’s hospital service blackouts that so many communities across our province are experiencing.
Q: If elected, what would the NDP do about policing and public safety?
A: Crime across the province is a real concern. Under Scott Moe’s leadership, Saskatchewan has the highest crime rates in Canada. People deserve to feel safe in their communities. Carla Beck and the Saskatchewan NDP will work with police services to hire more than 200 additional frontline officers. We’ll get tough on organized crime bringing poison into our communities and get tough on the causes of crime by investing in mental health and addictions services.
Q: What is the NDP's plan to grow the economy?
A: Saskatchewan has so much potential, and I see that opportunity right across our riding. We have a Hire Saskatchewan plan that will hire Saskatchewan workers and companies first on all public builds and contracts to ensure that our tax dollars get invested back into our communities. We’ll aggressively go out and sell Saskatchewan’s story and create a stable investment environment by promising to freeze corporate and small business taxes for the next four years.