The Government of Saskatchewan has a plan for the province, and Yorkton MLA Greg Ottenbreit says that over 2014 that plan has remained on track.
While oil prices have taken a dive, Ottenbreit says that the budget is still on track to stay balanced, though there have been some difficult choices in the past few months to allow that to happen. Relative stability of potash in the province compared to the rest of the world and a comparatively weak dollar have also helped make up for the shortfall in oil revenue, but markets have still required adjustment for the province’s finances.
In terms of the environment, Ottenbreit says that the province is proud of the Boundary Dam Carbon Capture and Sequestration project, which will see a significant reduction in the province’s carbon footprint.
“What that project will do will be the equivalent of taking 250,000 cars off the roads of Saskatchewan. That, in itself, is a very significant investment but will make a big impact on the environment of the province as well.”
One of Ottenbreit’s personal pet projects has seen the light of day, new license plates. One is the Memorial Cross license plate, available for free to families who have received the Memorial Cross in order to recognize the sacrifices their family has made. Ottenbreit says it’s an extension of the Veteran plate, a way to recognize people who have made contributions to the armed forces. The other plate is on the lighter side of the spectrum, with the new retro license plates for collector cars.
“The premier and I, both being car guys, thought it would be neat to have a specific license plate recognizing collector car enthusiasts.”
The plates are designed off of the province’s 1965 plate, one that Ottenbreit says resonates with a lot of car collectors and one which was the clear frontrunner during the design process. They wanted to get a plate that was a heritage plate which still tied to the province of today, and with the design selected he believes they accomplished that goal.
“It’s going to be exciting to see something we worked on locally roll out across the province.”
The year has also seen the government’s focus on education continue, this time with Adult Basic Education seeing a big boost in seats. Other recruitment and retention programs have continued as well, and Ottenbreit says that training and employing the province’s youth remains a priority.
Long term projects within the city have either opened or are in the middle of construction, including the Sunrise Health and Wellness Centre and the Parkland College’s Trades and Technology Centre, which will be opening next year.
“I know for myself, for the better part of seven years I’ve been pursuing [the Parkland College Trades and Technology Centre], to see it now coming to the final stages... that’s satisfying for me, to see a project that seemed to be taking a long time finally coming to fruition.”
From the government’s perspective, the Health and Wellness Centre has been a relatively quick turnaround, coming in under a year. He says it’s part of their goal to cut back on emergency service use in the province, with the new clinic being designed to quickly take care of a patient’s needs by having many different types of health services under one roof.
The team based approach is going to be a trend into the future, as it benefits the patients as well as the practitioner. He notes that physician retention has long been an issue in rural Saskatchewan, and having clinics built around teams also reduces stress for the doctors themselves.
Health will be the biggest concern for Ottenbreit going forward, as he has gained the role of Minister for Rural and Remote Health. The cabinet position is a challenge he is happy to take on, and he welcomes the added responsibility it brings.
“Although all of our MLAs have definite input into what happens in government, when you’re at the cabinet table that’s where some of the final decisions get made. It’s good to be there representing the city and also the province.”
He says it’s more difficult to be as active within the constituency as he has been, as responsibilities require him to be in Regina and other areas of the province more often, but he says it’s still a priority to be Yorkton’s MLA. Geography helps, he says, as it’s possible to run home from Regina quickly if necessary, so he can still be active in the community while handling new duties that come with the position.
“I like to be at local events, I like to be in the constituency, I like to be in the office being fairly hands on case work when the opportunity arises. I haven’t been able to that as much, but the opportunity to be around the province to witness what is happening around the province has been quite exciting... To be hands on and very involved in these projects now is quite interesting, as is being part of where we’re going with health care.”
Ottenbreit says that while there are challenges with health care at the moment, he has high praise for the people working in health in the province who work in health and take care of people, including seniors. He says that the numbers of staff are not the issue, but instead problems within the locations themselves, and they are relying on the provincial ombudsman to find out what needs to occur in these facilities.
The first days of his appointment also saw new developments that will benefit people in the area. One was the sod turning on the upcoming Children’s Hospital, a project Ottenbreit believes will be a big benefit to the province’s children. The other was the launch of a new STARS helicopter, which will make it possible for patients in remote areas to get transported quickly. He also says STARS in Saskatchewan has been able to be push forward to improve heathcare in the air.
“It’s quite exciting to recognize that our STARS system, while one of the newest ones, is one of the first ones to be able to carry blood on board. So they can actually do transfusions on board.”
For the upcoming year, Ottenbreit says that the province is still well positioned into the future, even as commodity rates fluctuate. He says that while resources are big, the province is diverse, and is now more than just one resource. He says that while travel has been a sore spot with the opposition, that travel has made it possible to increase exports to new markets for the province, which has helped diversify the economy beyond commodities.
