(File Photo/paNOW Staff)

By paNOW Staff

Year in Review

MLA Joe Hargrave reflects on busy year in 2023

Dec 24, 2023 | 12:00 PM

As 2023 ends, those who represent the city of Prince Albert in the provincial legislature and surrounding areas are looking back on the highs and lows of the past 12 months.

For Prince Albert Carlton MLA Joe Hargrave, the past year brought some changes to his agenda after Premier Scott Moe named him to his cabinet.

Hargrave was appointed Minister of Saskbuilds & Procurement in a cabinet shuffle in August.

“It feels very good. I so much enjoy representing and serving the people of Prince Albert – Carlton and all of Prince Albert. It’s nice to serve not only Prince Albert but the whole province,” Hargrave told paNOW at the time of the announcement.

The cabinet shuffle came amid controversy regarding changes in schools including the pronoun in schools policy and banning third-party organizations from teaching sexual education in the classroom.

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The shuffle resulted in Dustin Duncan being removed as Minister of Education in favour of Battlefords MLA Jeremy Cockrill.

In a year-end interview with paNOW Hargrave spoke briefly on the pronoun policy and sex ed changes, saying they were important moves to make.

“We heard from numerous parents, at my office, walking down the street and talking to people about that,” he said. “I think it was a good thing. It’s the parent’s rights.”

Critics have slammed the policy saying it puts LGBTQ students at risk and that it violates children’s rights to gender identity and expression.

READ MORE: Pronoun policy protests plague Moe at Premier’s Dinner

Opposition MLAs and healthcare unions have also criticized the government for how it handled that department in 2023. Overcrowding at major hospitals and emergency services disrupted at rural healthcare centres were just some examples of the healthcare woes highlighted during the year.

Hargrave admitted there are challenges in the healthcare sector but Saskatchewan is not the only province dealing with them.

“It’s an ongoing situation and we know we need to continue on and that’s why it’s important to start work on our hospital that we have here being built in Prince Albert,” he added. “It will add that additional beds that we need.”

He said the Sask Party government continues to invest in health care as well as recruiting and retaining workers.

Hargrave also mentioned that Saskatchewan saw record population growth and with that, comes the need for more infrastructure.

In July, ground broke on the expansion project for the Victoria Hospital. The project, which is expected to cost well over $300 million, will increase the number of beds at the hospital from 173 to 242, add a new acute care tower, replace the existing adult mental health space, and increase the size of the emergency department.

READ MORE: Construction starts on Victoria Hospital expansion project

That expansion project is one of the highlights for Hargrave in 2023, along with the opening of the Rose Garden Hospice.

Looking ahead to 2024, Hargrave said he’s excited about what lies ahead for Prince Albert as the city and province are scheduled to hold elections later this year.

Until the campaign officially begins, Hargrave said he’s looking forward to the year ahead and the opportunities for the city.

“As long as we’re focused on our city and bringing more value and the growth through the city of Prince Albert, that’s an extremely important thing.”

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panews@pattisonmedia.com