For immediate release: September 19, 2024
Carla Beck Releases Northern Strategy During Two-Day Outreach in Athabasca Constituency
Today, Saskatchewan NDP Leader Carla Beck released a Northern Strategy – a series of commitments to Northerners that she would deliver on as Premier.
“Everywhere I go I hear that it’s time for change, and nowhere do I hear that more than in Northwest Saskatchewan,” said Beck. “Saskatchewan New Democrats have been listening to Northerners, and this Northern Strategy has been built with them to address the challenges people in Northern Saskatchewan are facing.”
Carla Beck’s Northern Strategy includes the following commitments:
- Providing cost-of-living relief to Northerners by suspending the fuel tax for six months and removing the PST from children’s clothes and groceries.
- Hiring more doctors and nurses to improve access to healthcare in Northern communities and getting more First Nations and Métis people working in healthcare through a Grow Your Own strategy to recruit and train-up healthcare staff.
- Increasing funding for education in Northern Saskatchewan and ensuring that school boards in the North can provide the specialized supports kids need.
- Working in partnership with First Nations and Métis people to respect Treaty and Inherent rights and restoring a physical presence for government in the North.
- Investing in highway maintenance like Highways 155 and 123 to ensure safety for Northerners.
- Partnering with Northern leaders to improve wildfire management and ensure Northern residents have access to training and are a part of local wildfire responses.
- Improving access to culturally relevant mental health and addictions supports by scrapping the Sask. Party’s $20 million Marshals Service.
- Making vacant SaskHousing units available for people needing a home, introducing rent protections for tenants, and restoring the direct payment of rent and utilities to landlords for income support clients.
