Saskatchewan Minute: Health Pressers, Winter Driving, and Emissions Cap Warnings

Saskatchewan Minute - Your weekly one-minute summary of Saskatchewan politics.

This Week In Saskatchewan:

• We were hoping not to think about winter for another couple of months, but Saskatchewan's Highway Hotline is revamping its terminology to better communicate winter driving conditions, aiming for clarity and consistency across western Canada. This system has provided updates on road conditions and closures for over 50 years. New terms include "Bare" for clear roads, "Partly Covered" for partially snow or ice-covered surfaces, "Covered" for fully snow or ice-covered roads, "Travel Not Recommended" for low visibility, and "Closed" for impassable highways. The colour white has been eliminated from the digital maps due to visibility issues, now represented by a dotted line. 
  
  
• Saskatchewan's program providing free menstrual products to those in need is expanding to include post-secondary institutions. Since its launch in October 2023, over five million products have been distributed to 670 schools and 23 shelters, with two million more products set to be distributed next month. This fall, nine post-secondary institutions and six private vocational schools will receive 435,000 products to ensure students have access to essential items. The program, supported by Shoppers Drug Mart’s donation of 12 million products over three years, aims to eliminate financial and physical barriers for students.
  
  
• Saskatchewan will lower the age for breast cancer screening eligibility from 50 to 40, beginning in January 2025, with a gradual rollout. The change aims to provide mammograms to women without breast cancer symptoms, although the Province will need time to build capacity and recruit necessary health workers. The Cancer Foundation of Saskatchewan is launching a $3.2 million campaign to expand screening services, including adding new mobile mammography units and upgrading equipment in Regina and Saskatoon.

Last Week In Saskatchewan:

• A tribunal report warned that the proposed federal emissions cap and methane regulations would significantly harm the province’s economy. The report, commissioned by Justice Minister Bronwyn Eyre, estimates a loss of $43 billion in government revenue and up to 34,000 job losses by 2050. The regulations aim to cut oil and gas emissions by up to 38% from 2019 levels by 2030, but the report argues that such measures would shift oil production to other countries without reducing global emissions. Our friends at Project Confederation have been warning about this since Ottawa began discussing it! They have an ongoing petition calling on the federal government to Stop The Cap On Oil And Gas.
  
  
• Saskatchewan's exports to Latin America hit a record $5.4 billion in 2023, driven largely by potash and agri-food products. Potash made up 54.5% of the exports, totaling nearly $3 billion, while agri-food products contributed over $2.4 billion. Leading agri-food exports in 2023 included non-durum wheat, canola seed, lentils, canola oil, durum wheat, and dried peas. The top five destinations - Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Peru, and Ecuador - made up 85% of the Province’s exports to the region.
  
  
• As the Saskatchewan provincial election nears, the government and the NDP held competing press conferences on health care. Health Minister Everett Hindley highlighted the province's $300 million health human resources plan, which has recruited doctors and nurses locally and internationally. NDP Leader Carla Beck criticized the government's efforts, arguing that health care staff are still leaving the province at a high rate. Both parties showed openness to establishing a nursing task force, something advocated for by the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses.