Ryan Meili spoke with media Monday in Prince Albert at the office of P.A.-Northcote MLA Nicole Rancourt. (Michael Joel-Hansen/paNOW Staff)

By Michael Joel-Hansen

2020 provincial election

Provincial opposition leader makes stop in P.A.

Jan 20, 2020 | 4:00 PM

The provincial opposition leader is prepared to make sure the government keeps its promise of a new hospital for Prince Albert.

Saskatchewan NDP Leader Ryan Meili said his party will be keeping an eye on the issue. Meili added they will also be looking at who is awarded the contract.

“The other thing we’ll be watching is to make sure when it gets built, it gets built by a Saskatchewan company,” he said.

The opposition leader stressed it’s is important to award tenders to provincial contractors as the project is funded by Saskatchewan taxpayers. He criticized previous policies which saw tenders awarded to out of province companies.

Meili made the comments in P.A. Monday morning. He is visiting the city and surrounding area, including Batoche along with One Arrow and Muskoday First Nations as outreach ahead of the coming provincial election.

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Meili also weighed in on a second bridge for the city of P.A. He said his party presented a number of petitions in the legislature calling for one to be built.

“We believe there should be a second bridge, so that there’s better circulation for local traffic and better access to northern Saskatchewan, for safety and for supporting business development in the area,” he said.

Meili spoke on provincial crime issues and the role addiction plays into that. The NDP leader said the government is not paying enough attention to the issue. Meili explained dealing with the problem requires a multi-pronged approach.

“That includes making sure that we’re keeping those drugs off the streets, but also that anybody who’s struggling with addiction or at risk is getting the support they need early on,” he said.

Meili pointed addiction also puts a strain on emergency rooms and suggested creating separate mental health and addictions focused emergency rooms.

Looking forward to the 2020 election, the NDP leader admits his party is the underdog, but said they remain hopeful the party could provide a changed vision for the province.

“We’re ready to provide that alternative, a different direction for government in this province. That’s what we’re shooting for,” he said.

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MichaelJoel.Hansen@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @mjhskcdn