‘Cautious optimism’: Long-term care for northern seniors included in budget
‘Cautious optimism’: Long-term care for northern seniors included in budget
Mayor says La Ronge lacks infrastructure for a new long-term care facility but remains optimistic after budget announcement
The La Ronge Health Centre serves the town, surrounding communities and the larger northern region with only 14 beds dedicated for long-term care. Photo by Michael Bramadat-Willcock
Saskatchewan’s budget released on Tuesday promises more benefits for seniors in the north, with $7.6M in funding for new long-term care facilities in La Ronge. More support for low income seniors will be rolled out across the province through higher maximum payments.
A political career spanning nearly 30 years, is coming to an end for the Chief of Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation (PBCN).
After a lengthy consultation with his wife and family, Peter Beatty decided not to seek re-election on April 13. Beatty told
paNOW the decision to step down was not an easy one, and was based on a combination of personal reasons.
“For the most part I’ve been away from home for 28 years. In fact, two of our youngest, one of them is an RN, and you know I haven’t seen them grow up really,” he said.
In addition to wanting to spend more time with family, Beatty also acknowledged he will turn 67 this fall, meaning if re-elected, he would be in office until he was 70.
General signs of addiction are lack of control or inability to stay away from a substance or behaviour, decreased socialization, such as abandoning commitments or ignoring relationships and ignoring risk factors, like sharing needles despite potential consequences. One can be addicted to many things such as gambling, chocolate, sex, the internet, shopping, food, work tattoos, alcohol or drugs just to name a few. A statement was provided by the province’s Official Opposition Critic for Mental Health and Addictions Doyle Vermette. With the shocking news that Saskatchewan saw more than one overdose death per day in the month of January, the NDP Critic for Mental Health and Addictions Doyle Vermette released the following statement:
A look back 2020: Tristen Durocher
One of the most impactful northern stories of 2020 is a single man’s quest to raise awareness to high rates of suicide in Northern Saskatchewan.
In July Tristen Durocher walked from Air Ronge to Regina, as he was not pleased with the provincial government’s suicide prevention plan, alleging it did not go far enough.
When reaching the Legislature in late July, Durocher setup a teepee on the west lawn, as a demonstration calling for greater action.
He would fast there for 44-days, each day representing a Sask. Party MLA who voted against NDP MLA Doyle Vermette’s private members bill call for the creation of a suicide plan.
Unsurprisingly, nearly all the questions in question period from the opposition New Democratic Party focused on the government’s response to COVID-19. New Democratic Party Leader Ryan Meili repeatedly asked for additional funds for a variety of different groups, from schools to more staffing for long-term care, to additional testing. He also pushed the government to do more to control the spread of COVID-19. Layoffs at Regina’s EVRAZ steel mill in excess of 500 were another source of questions. Towards the end of the session, Meili pointed out that if the government had followed the NDP’s idea of a three-week “circuit breaker,” which the NDP suggested three weeks ago, COVID-19 number may not have gotten so bad.