Keeping our promises to maintain the Saskatchewan advantage
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Our government is taking action in the wake of the tragic death of an 18-year-old girl killed while working as highways flagperson. Ashley Dawn Richards was struck by a vehicle in an Orange Zone in August – a tragedy Premier Brad Wall described as a senseless loss caused by blatant disregard for the rules. The Province of Saskatchewan is partnering with the RCMP to improve safety in the Orange Zone. The RCMP will conduct traffic enforcement blitzes targeting highway construction zones. Our government will announce further measures in the coming weeks. Motorists are required by law to slow to 60 kilometres an hour where Orange Zone signs are up and workers are present. Fines start at $140 and increase by two dollars for every km/h over the speed limit up to 90 km/h. For speeds in excess of 90 km/h, the fine increases by four dollars for every km/h above the speed limit.
Your Saskatchewan Party government is keeping our promise to improve access to health care in rural and remote communities. We met recently with a delegation from Nova Scotia about a new model of care they are using to do just that – Collaborative Emergency Centres, or CECs. CECs combine primary and emergency care. In Nova Scotia, they are typically open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. During the day, CECs offer primary health care provided by a team of professionals, including doctors and nurses. At night, the team includes a registered nurse and a paramedic with physician oversight. We see the Nova Scotia model as an innovative way to meet the needs of rural and remote communities by improving access to services, reducing wait times and same or next-day appointments.
With flu season just around the corner, our government has announced the return of the annual influenza vaccine program. Over the next couple weeks, the vaccine will become available across the province at public health clinics and doctor’s offices. The vaccine is recommended for high risk groups such as:
º People with chronic health conditions;
º Anyone 65 and over;
º Residents of nursing homes and other chronic care facilities;
º Children between the ages of six months and five-years-old;
º Pregnant women; and
º People in close contact with any of the above groups.
