A health services needs assessment expected earlier this year is now delayed until the spring, according to Saskatchewan Executive Council.
However, the consulting firm that completed the work has publicly outlined what the study produced.
Christian Kainz, senior media relations officer with Executive Council, confirmed the revised timeline.
“We anticipate that the findings of the needs assessment will be shared with the community in the spring.”
The assessment was commissioned through a public tender and awarded to Cornerstone Planning Group, a firm specializing in health system planning.
While the province has not released the report itself, the company’s website provides insight into the scope of the work completed in Lloydminster.
According to the firm’s published portfolio description, the study produced a future-state service model across 13 service areas.
Those include six acute care services, five community-based service areas and three levels of continuing care spanning both provinces.
The company states the assessment equipped Saskatchewan and Alberta with coordinated service directions to guide long-term planning and support more seamless, sustainable care delivery in Lloydminster.
The posted summary also outlines the process behind the study.
It references 35 clinical, operational and administrative engagement sessions conducted as part of the assessment.
The project is described as addressing health service planning for two provinces operating within one shared service region.
The full findings, recommendations and projected service changes have not yet been made public.
The assessment is widely viewed as a key document for future provincial investment decisions affecting Lloydminster’s hospital and broader health system.
The province has not provided a specific release date beyond “spring,” nor has it indicated whether the report has been finalized internally.
On Feb. 24, the province gave this follow-up statement, refuting any perceived delay, after the story was published.
“There is no delay. The Ministry of Health has indicated in the past we expect to share the findings in early 2026,” stated Dale Hunter, senior media relations consultant for the Ministry of Health. “This is still the expectation. We continue to look forward to discussing this with the community.”
For now, the only publicly available details about the scope of the assessment come from the consulting firm that conducted it.
The community continues to wait for the full findings.
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