Below you'll find MLA Tim McLeod's Report from the Legislature for January 18, 2024.
The views expressed below are solely the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official stance of Golden West.
Saskatchewan is off to a strong start in 2024. Our growing economy continues to fuel investments in the programs and services that matter most to Saskatchewan people. With these investments in place, Saskatchewan continues to be one of the best places to live, work and raise a family.
Saskatchewan stood out for economic growth in 2023, and experts predict our province will continue to lead this year with growth expected to be pushed to more than double the national average. A major contributor to this year’s economic growth will be BHP’s $6.4 billion Stage 2 expansion of the Jansen potash project. Once this project is complete it will be the largest potash mine in the world and will provide more jobs and opportunities while continuing to drive economic growth in our province.
Economic growth from 2023 continues to give momentum to 2024. Saskatchewan led the nation in growth in building permits in November 2023, up 83.9 per cent year-over-year. Housing starts are up too; December 2023 saw an increase of 86.4 per cent from the year before.
As our economy grows, so does our labour market. The latest numbers from Statistics Canada indicate that Saskatchewan has reached another record for job growth with 22,100 full time jobs added year-over-year, ranking second in the nation. Our government is committed to continuing to make investments and decisions to help grow our economy, resulting in more opportunities and a higher quality of life for Saskatchewan people.
Saskatchewan’s strong and growing economy means we can invest more in the areas that matter most. This February, a new specialized support classroom pilot project will be launched that focuses on helping manage and de-escalate behavioural incidents. This project will help address classroom complexity by assisting students who need targeted interventions in the short-term. Our government is providing a $3.6 million investment to fund the pilot in eight school divisions across the province which will run until the end of the 2024-25 school year.
Also new this year is the Teacher Innovation and Support Fund, which will foster local, teacher-led solutions while addressing classroom and student needs. Applications are now being accepted for Saskatchewan teachers to access funding for projects that assist in providing better student and teacher experiences within today’s classrooms. This $2.5 million pilot project will allow teachers to work with their school administration to apply for up to $75,000 to put toward their ideas.
The goal of this fund is to have local, innovative ideas be brought forward to continue to enhance our classrooms in such areas as student achievement, student and teacher wellness, and school safety. Our government is listening to teachers and is engaged in finding practical solutions to improve the classroom environment for teachers and students.
We are also committed to investing in health care so Saskatchewan people can receive the care they need when they need it. The Health Human Resources Action Plan introduced in the fall of 2022 to recruit, train, incentivize and retain health care workers continues to show strong results. A total of 131 nurses from the Philippines have arrived in Saskatchewan, 21 of which have begun working in communities across the province.
Since December 2022, 964 nursing graduates have been hired from across Saskatchewan and Canada. Since September 2021, 259 physicians have been recruited to Saskatchewan, including 105 family physicians and 154 specialists.
To further support health care in our province, our government is committed to investing health care training programs. An additional investment of $850,000 will add 25 seats to the Mental Health and Wellness Diploma program at the Saskatchewan Institute of Technologies. This funding helps to not only meet labour demands in our growing health care sector, but also ensures our communities receive the care and support they need.
As Saskatchewan continues to experience growth, our government is committed to building and protecting our province for generations to come. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact my constituency office at 306-692-8884 or mjnorthmla@sasktel.net.