The Saskatchewan NDP released a leaked copy of the Lloydminster Health Service Needs Assessment this week, the same 261-page document our newsroom has spent weeks reporting on after obtaining it through a confidential source in June.
Carla Beck’s party held a news conference in Lloydminster to release the report publicly. The Sask. Party government has refused to release the full document, issuing a four-page summary instead last month.
BorderPulse published a 12-part investigative series on the assessment starting June 29, drawing directly from the document’s findings on emergency room closures, mental health staffing and a missing intensive care unit. The outlet also filed an appeal with Saskatchewan’s Information and Privacy Commissioner on June 26 after the province denied a freedom of information request for the same report.
Meara Conway, Saskatchewan’s Shadow Minister for Health, led Thursday’s news conference alongside two local advocates.
“This report is excellent. I’ve read it. It’s comprehensive,” said Conway.
She said the province’s four-page summary omitted the report’s final three pages, which contain its key recommendations.
“Perhaps the biggest omission from this four-part summary are the recommendations,” said Conway. “The key recommendations that were identified so that this community can move forward to meet its needs both today and into the future.”
What the report found
The assessment says Lloydminster Hospital is no longer adequate for the population it serves. It documents emergency wait times that have doubled, primary care shortages that push patients into emergency rooms, and a single psychiatrist serving a catchment area of 217,000 people.
“We rely on police and RCMP as the default body to deal with mental health issues because there are no supports apart from bank hours,” said Conway.
The report calls for a 132 per cent increase in mental health staffing and identifies gaps first flagged in a 2013 needs assessment for the same region.
“What is shocking is how clearly and comprehensively this report confirms those concerns,” said Conway. “And that the Sask. Party chose not to share these with the public.”
Local advocates say report validates years of concern
Paul Richer, chair of the Lloydminster and District Health Advisory Council, said he has pushed for the report’s full release since it was completed.
“This is what the community worked for,” said Richer. “My advocacy is for the full release above the table of the study.”
Darrell Dunn, president of the Lloydminster Concerned Citizens for Seniors Care Society, said the pattern dates back more than a decade.
“From 2013 on there’s been a consistent ignoring of the issues that were brought up in that work,” said Dunn. “Withholding the report is just bad governance.”
Dr. Raff Syed, a physician who has practised in the Lloydminster area for 49 years, spoke from the audience. He said a similar report in 2007 was also ignored, along with a 2013 request for roughly $100 million in investment.
“These are not new problems,” said Syed. “We need to see the ball moving in the right direction.”
NDP commits to tabling report in legislature
Conway said she plans to table the document when the legislature resumes in October.
“If the government committed to even half of these recommendations, Lloydminster would be much further ahead,” said Conway.
She said the party obtained the document from more than one source and that it had not been altered.
“It has not in any way been changed or redacted or altered in any way,” said Conway.
Jared Clarke, Shadow Minister for Rural and Remote Health, said the government’s decision to withhold the report undermines public trust.
“The Moe government didn’t want people to see this report because it exposes the reality facing people in the area,” said Clarke.
The Border Pulse’s full 12-part series on its findings, is available here: https://borderpulse.ca/category/lloydminster-health-needs-assessment-investigation/
