TransformSK consults the public on change

With talk of “transformational change” comes a question of what that actually means. The Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce has launched an effort with the Saskatchewan Construction Association, Saskatchewan Mining Association, Sask-atchewan Manufacturing Council and the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan to see what residents of the province want to see changed. TransformSK visited 15 communities as part of the process, including Yorkton.

The consultation process was initiated to get ideas from the people of the province, whether that means municipalities and RMs, local stakeholders or interested people, explains Steve McLellan, CEO of the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce.

“We’re asking what’s working, what’s not, what are our strengths as a provinces, what are weaknesses? We are looking for creativity in changing some of the norms in what we’ve done, processes we’ve used, that could be much more efficient or provide longer term benefits to the people of Saskatchewan.”

Health and education have been the primary focuses of the crowds gathered, McLellan says, with a bit about infrastructure as well. Since people care about the future of this province, they have been engaged in the consultations.

“We hear consistently, people are exceptionally proud of the province and what we have, and frustrated that the world doesn’t see it through our eyes. That this is a great place to live, work and invest. We need to get that message out to the world.”

This is a consultation process that is funded entirely by the member organizations, rather than the government itself. The report will be given to the government at the end of the process, as well as to everyone who participated in the consultations.

“The end goal is for Saskatchewan creativity to be put on paper, and shared throughout the province. We will have a report that shows this is what Saskatchewan people said and here are some consistent themes and ideas that what we need to work on together... We are shareholders of this province, we need to act like it.”

The consultation in Yorkton was a positive conversation, but McLellan says one of the most encouraging things was to see how people have ideas and concerns in areas outside of their area of expertise, such as educators interested in health or people outside of infrastructure expressing concerns in that field.

“Yorkton has a particularly caring and articulate community, and we have heard from their voices that they care about the province and they care about their place in the province.”

The consultation process also continues online for people who are unable to make it to a meeting, at transformsk.ca.