By Taylor MacPherson

Leadership hopeful Gord Wyant discusses P.A. issues

Nov 17, 2017 | 1:00 PM

Saskatchewan Party leadership candidate Gord Wyant said a new hospital serving the Prince Albert region must be a “significant priority” for Saskatchewan.

The leadership hopeful and long-time justice minister caught up with paNOW to discuss the potential for a new hospital in the city, along with some of the other major issues facing the region. Constructing a new hospital would depend on the available capital after the health regions amalgamate into a single body early next month, Wyant said, but he noted a new hospital should be paid for by the province without help from local governments.

“A new hospital in Prince Albert has got to be a pretty significant priority if we’re going to deliver quality healthcare, especially toward the North,” he said. “If the decision is to build a new provincial hospital, I’d be fully prepared to commit to funding that fully by the province.”

The Saskatoon Northwest MLA said he would consider other funding models for a new hospital including public-private partnerships (P3), so long as they are practical and economically viable.

“We have to look at innovative ways of financing these kinds of projects, so I’m perfectly open to having that discussion,” he said.

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On the Diefenbaker Bridge, Prince Albert’s other major infrastructure issue, Wyant said he’d honour Premier Brad Wall’s prior commitment to fund a new bridge using the P3 model. The province is still committed to using the public-private partnership model, he said, and to ensuring Prince Albert’s river crossing remains sound and viable for years to come. A second bridge, he added, “might be appropriate at some time in the future.”

Wyant said he plans to win support among the First Nations communities through economic development and job creation, and by creating a respectful relationship between the provincial government and Saskatchewan’s First Nations and Métis residents.

“One of the things I’ve committed to in this campaign is bringing the responsibility of First Nations and Métis engagement into the premier’s office,” Wyant said.

“I think that relationship is vitally important, not just for the North but for the entire province.”

Although the North has seen economic setbacks recently, including the temporary closures of Cameco’s uranium mines at McArthur River and Key Lake, Wyant said he believes resource extraction industries are the best way to bring good jobs and economic growth to the region.

Wyant said a major focus of his campaign is listening to the people of the province, which he hopes will help him connect with voters before the next general election. The SaskParty did not do well against the NDP in recent Saskatoon by-elections, he said, so it’s important not to overlook the issues facing voters in urban centres.

“We need to make sure that we focus on the needs of urban municipalities to make sure we re-attract some of the people that perhaps have left our party,” Wyant said. “I don’t think we’ve lost touch with the people of Saskatchewan, but I think we need to do a little more listening.”

Wyant said he will be in Prince Albert next Thursday, the second time he has visited the Gateway to the North during the leadership campaign. Wyant said he has a few events and interviews planned during his visit, including a meeting with Mayor Greg Dionne.

The SaskParty will vote for their new leader Jan. 27.

Taylor.macpherson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @TMacPhesonNews