For immediate release 

REGINA – With the release of tomorrow’s provincial budget, SGEU hopes that the Sask Party government will take this opportunity to invest in working people and support frontline workers.

“Frontline workers have been let down by Premier Moe and the Sask Party throughout this pandemic,” said SGEU acting president Roseann Strelezki. “From the lack of wage top-ups for healthcare workers to giving workers at gas stations and grocery stores Canada’s lowest minimum wage, this government has left frontline workers to fend for themselves.”

Here are SGEU’s top priorities for the 2021-22 provincial budget:

• Strong investments in public services such as health care, social services, correctional and rehabilitation services, and our Crowns
• Wage top-ups for workers in health care and other frontline sectors, which includes allocating unused funds from the federal government and making added investments at a provincial level
• Ending for-profit long-term care and investing in the public system with more staff and improved infrastructure
• Multi-year funding for community-based organizations that have supported vulnerable people through this pandemic
• Strengthening mental health and addictions services in urban and rural areas so everyone can get the support they need regardless of their ability to pay
• Raising Saskatchewan’s minimum wage to $15 per hour

“The Sask. Party government has spent an incredibly small amount on supports for people during this pandemic,” said Strelezki, referencing a report that showed the province is picking up only 10% of the cost of Saskatchewan’s COVID-19 response measures. “This provincial budget is an opportunity for the premier to do the right thing and finally step up with some supports for frontline workers.”

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For media inquiries, please contact:

Amy Huziak, Communications Officer at SGEU

306-530-5683