NDP leader Ryan Meili and Saskatoon University MLA Jennifer Bowes visited Meadow Lake to meet with local leaders. (Elliott Knopp/meadowlakeNOW staff)

By Elliott Knopp

Opposition visit

Meili concerned with Meadow Lake education, health, economic investments

Dec 2, 2021 | 5:00 AM

Following a trip to Meadow Lake to discuss the needs of the region, NDP leader Ryan Meili expressed concern over the current state of affairs.

In an interview with meadowlakeNOW, Meili said he spoke with chiefs from Meadow Lake Tribal Council (MLTC) and was told they felt the current government wasn’t listening to their concerns, didn’t include them in decision-making and didn’t take their stewardship of the land seriously.

“It’s very much a token effort, and there’s no real involvement in the Indigenous communities in being part of economic development. The First Nations leadership and the folks in the communities want to be a part of the economy. They want to see development happen.”

Meili further explained he believes there are missed opportunities to create more processing businesses and jobs in the province rather than hauling raw product out of the country, adding they are key in improving long-term stewardship, environmental sustainability and value-added opportunity.

He stated additional frustration comes from inadequate health care services and lack of investment into local resources.

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“We see so many people feeling hopeless, getting involved in things that aren’t healthy, or moving away and never coming back,” he said.

“We know that so much leaves this part of the province in terms of resources, in terms of dollars, and doesn’t come back. A lot of work needs to be done with the province to make sure that more of the resources that fuel Saskatchewan’s economy that comes from here fuel the local economy as well.”

Jennifer Bowes, NDP critic for Advanced Education, Innovation, and the Status of Women, expressed concerns over how education is being handled, citing the shut down of NORTEP and a teacher shortage across the Northern part of the province.

“The cuts to NORTEP have been really impactful for people in this community and in the broader area,” Bowes said.

“We need to make sure that there are those opportunities for people in the northwest part of the province to advance in terms of their advanced education opportunities.”

Strongly-worded response

In a subsequent interview, Meadow Lake MLA Jeremy Harrison disputed these observations, saying the relationship between MLTC and the province’s leadership is not as the NDP leader portrayed in his comments.

Highlighting a $75-million investment into the Indigenous Investment Finance Corporation, Harrison explained the development came as a direct result of collaborating with the MLTC.

“All that money comes home, and MLTC would be the first ones to say that because of that, they were able to provide a record dividend for their member First Nations this year, which results in some really tangible things like housing and education on First Nations.”

Harrison also mentioned the province’s recent contributions to the area’s forestry sector have directly benefitted Indigenous-led investments and organizations.

“Our economy is doing very well in Northwest Saskatchewan, and we have seen more investment into that forestry sector in the last six months than we’ve seen in decades.”

“It just shows how out of touch Meili is, who really has never spent any time in rural Saskatchewan. It doesn’t surprise me, but to call the people of Northwest Saskatchewan hopeless is just offensive.”

While the new long-term health care facility continues to experience delays with its opening, Harrison stated the facility is another example of investment into rural health care that wasn’t accomplished when the NDP were in office.

He added the province is still addressing its commitment to rural healthcare by acquiring beds and meeting staffing demands, while also noting the addition of a new dialysis unit in Meadow Lake Hospital.

“Those are the sort of challenges that we are looking forward to taking head on as a Saskatchewan Party government, and something the NDP never had to worry about because they never actually did anything as far as rural health care facilities,” he stated.

“We’re very happy to defend our record and our record investments into Northwest Saskatchewan and Meadow Lake.”

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elliott.knopp@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @ElliottKnopp