The City of Regina’s final 2024 budget proposal would see the average household pay $19.42 more per month in combined property and utility taxes.
That includes the average homeowner paying $4.30 more in property tax per month if the budget proposal is approved by city council.
“Nobody likes tax increases,” said Mayor Sandra Masters. “But when our costs go up, the only avenue we have is property tax increases.”
City administration equated that increase to a proposed mill rate increase of 2.20 per cent.
Currently, a property valued at $315,000 pays $193.67 in property tax per month, according to the city.
“We have services we need to continue to provide to residents,” said city manager Niki Anderson. “We’ll continue to provide those services in the best, most economical way possible.”
In September, administration initially proposed a 5.29 per cent mill rate increase for 2024, which would have seen the average household’s property tax increase by about $20 per month or $240 for the year.
UTILITY BILL
In December 2022, city council approved a four per cent water rate increase for 2024 to maintain the utility and fund the renewal of the Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant, the city said.
Residents can expect to see an increase to their water bills in the new year. The city says that increase will be around $6.60 per month for the average household.
“We need to make sure Regina has safe, high-quality, potable water,” said CFO Barry Lacey. “It’s a key thing a municipality delivers.”
With the launch of the city’s new green cart program, residents will also now have to pay for their brown garbage carts. According to the city, a 360 litre cart will cost $23.73 per month and a 240 litre cart will be $16.12 per month, with the average monthly cost adding up to $8.52 for the smaller cart, the city said that amount “covers all waste services.”
Those waste service fees will be part of water utility bills. That will mean a total increase of $15.12 a month on the average residential property’s utility bill, the city said.
According to the city, all put together, the average household would pay a total of $19.42 more per month in 2024 with the proposed mill rate and utility rate increases combined.
“Like many municipalities, the financial landscape of the city has changed, largely influenced by inflation and rising costs,” the city said in a news release.
REAL & TOURISM
With a decision regarding Regina Exhibition Association Limited (REAL) weighing in the balance of council, administration is recommending more than $2.5 million in city grand funding.
That allocation could change when the city takes over full control of Tourism Regina.
“I don’t expect that decision to have any impact on the mill rate,” Lacey explained. “It would simply be a reallocation of the grant funding into the city’s operating budget.
DEFERRED PROJECTS
To keep the mill rate increase minimal, administration deferred several planned projects to at least 2025.
“We’re going to have to defer and step into them,” Masters said. “Or we could talk about an 8 to 10 [per cent mill rate increase] but no one’s going to do that.”
Some of the projects include the 11th Avenue renewal, Saskatchewan Drive corridor, Scarth Street mall change and Ring Road safety improvement projects.
“It’s a matter of making allocation decisions and how to prioritize what you have with limited dollars,” Lacey said. “So there’s a slight step back this year.”
Regina city council will review Friday’s final budget proposal on Dec. 13.
The agency said the affected Malichita cantaloupes were sold between Oct. 11 and Nov. 14, inclusive.
For the Save on Foods and Urban Fare products, the best before dates are up to and including Nov. 9.
Consumers who have the products in their homes should throw them away.
Some of the recalled products were distributed in all provinces as well as Yukon and possibly other territories.
Most people recover in a week
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said interviews with sick people and laboratory findings showed that cantaloupes are behind this outbreak.
In the U.S., 17 people have been hospitalized and no deaths have been reported.
The number of people sickened in the outbreak is likely much higher than those reported, CDC said.
It typically takes three to four weeks to determine whether a sick person is part of an outbreak.
Most people infected with salmonella develop diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps within six hours to six days after consuming food contaminated with the bacteria.
Some people — especially children younger than five, those 65 years and older, and people with weakened immune systems — may experience more severe illnesses that require medical treatment or hospitalization.
Saskatchewan’s ruling party removed a sitting MLA from caucus Friday following a prostitution-related charge.
In a statement sent to media, the provincial government said Premier Scott Moe removed Ryan Domotor, 56, from the Saskatchewan Party caucus and stripped him of all appointments and responsibilities.
“Those in public office should be working to support vulnerable women, not exploit them,” Premier Moe said in the email.
According to the government, Domotor, who represents Cutknife-Turtleford, has been charged under a prostitution-related section of Canada’s Criminal Code.
“There is absolutely no place in our government, nor frankly in the Assembly, for someone who has been charged with such a crime,” Moe said.
In response to a CTV News inquiry, Regina Police Service said Domotor was one of 16 people arrested in a vice unit investigation earlier this week focused on “combatting sexual exploitation and human trafficking.”
Police say he was arrested at a business in east Regina at around 2 p.m. Thursday.
Domotor is facing a charge of communicating for the purposes of obtaining sexual services.
CTV News has contacted Domotor’s Maidstone constituency office for further comment.
According to pollsters, if a federal election were held today it would result in a majority government for Pierre Poilievre.
What’s pushing you to switch parties? Call us 1-888-416-8333.
CBC Radio ·
A man enters an advance polling station in Ottawa, Friday, Sept. 10, 2021. Advance polls opened today ahead of the Federal Election Sept. 20th. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)
If a federal election were held today it would result in a majority government for Pierre Poilievre and the Conservatives, according to recent polls.
Poll aggregator 338 Canada‘s latest polls suggest the Conservative Party has a 13 point lead over the Liberals.
In the 2021 federal election, the Liberals won a minority government with 160 seats, while the the Conservatives formed the opposition with 119 seats. The Bloc Québécois won 32 seats, the NDP won 25, and the Green Party finished with two seats.
Our question this week: Will you vote differently in the next federal election? What’s pushing you to switch parties?
Also, How are you handling difficult conversations with family and friends about the Israel-Hamas war? Share your stories with our conflict resolution experts.
Join host Ian Hanomansing on CBC Radio One, CBC Listen and CBC News Network. Call Checkup at 1-888-416-8333 or go to CBC.ca/AIRCHECK.
For the first time, top leadership from the five southwestern Ontario hospitals hit by a ransomware attack answered questions from the media — acknowledging the significant impact the incident has had on care, as well as the large amount of stolen data.
During the roughly 50-minute meeting on Friday, each hospital CEO said their facility has been hard hit by the Oct. 23 attack, but recovery is ongoing and they’re getting by with the hard work of staff. With systems down and hospitals unable to access critical information, thousands of patient appointments have been cancelled across the five hospitals, creating backlogs of varying lengths at some of the facilities.
Some of the institutions also said they have started reaching out to the thousands of patients and staff whose information has been leaked onto the dark web. The hospitals are providing those impacted with a free credit monitoring service.
The hospital CEOs also stood behind IT provider TransForm, saying they are “confident” the group is working hard to get systems back online, with a priority on clinical services.
“We apologize for this. And we apologize for the inconvenience this has had and the issues this has caused for the patients in our community,” said Windsor Regional Hospital CEO David Musyj.
“But I can tell you individually and collectively, our focus is on them and our focus is on our staff to regain that trust.”
Here are the latest updates each hospital shared.
Bluewater Health
Bluewater Health in Sarnia said that without access to its systems, “there has been an impact on our families and patient experience.”
CEO Paula Reaume-Zimmer said urgent and emergency cases have been prioritized, and as a result, their diagnostic imaging department has had to cancel more than 3,500 appointments, causing a “significant and growing backlog.”
It’s unclear how long patients will be waiting to get their appointment, she said.
She added that staff have been notifying patients of changes to their appointments, but in some cases, the patient hasn’t been told until they have arrived at the hospital.
She also said labs in the Sarnia and Petrolia regions are deferring walk-in, non-urgent cases to deal with emergent ones.
Bluewater Health in Sarnia had the greatest amount of patient data stolen during the cyberattack. It has started reaching out to 20,000 patients to make them aware of their social insurance number being stolen. (Kerri Breen/CBC)
Out of all the affected facilities, Bluewater Health has had the greatest amount of patient information leaked onto the dark web.
As a result of the cybercriminals gaining access to a patient database, information on all of Bluewater Health’s 267,000 patients who have attended the facility, and its predecessors, since 1992 has been compromised.
Starting Friday, Reaume-Zimmer, said staff are reaching out to about 20,000 patients who have had their social insurance numbers (SINs) compromised.
The hospital said in a news release Friday that it has opened a phone line dedicated to dealing with this. It advises anyone who visited the hospital as of November 1999 for a work-related injury, such as a Workplace Safety and Insurance Board claim, to phone (519) 346-4604.
As of Friday, the phone lines will be available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The hospital also notes people should be aware of ongoing scams and not provide their SIN over the phone.
Reaume-Zimmer said there is still additional stolen information that they are still investigating.
Windsor Regional Hospital
Windsor Regional Hospital CEO David Musyj said diagnostic imaging and their curative radiation treatments took the largest hit during this attack.
Musyj said the number of diagnostic imaging appointments for a CT scan or MRI that need to be rescheduled are “into the thousands.” For other imaging, he said, they are working to get these appointments done through community partners.
Windsor Regional Hospital CEO David Musyj said the hospital’s diagnostic imaging and curative radiation treatments were paused due to the attack. As of Friday, radiation has been restored at full service. (Amy Dodge/CBC)
He added though surgeries were postponed, they got back on track a few days after the cyberattack.
As of Friday, the hospital said its curative radiation treatments are back up to full capacity.
The hospital said that for patients who had to go elsewhere to get their treatment, they are being told to complete their treatment at the location they started at for continuity of care and to avoid further delays.
On Nov. 6, the hospital said in a news release that some patient data was breached and that included their name and a summary of their medical condition. It had also said some employee information was impacted, though that doesn’t appear to include SIN or banking information.
Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare
Services and programs at Windsor’s Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare, according to CEO Bill Marra, have not been impacted by the cyberattack. He added that while there has been some efficiency and timing issues, all of their inpatient and outpatient programs have been running.
Marra said the hospital is only aware of an employee database being stolen, which included information on 1,396 current and former employees. These are workers who started their employment at the hospital as of Nov. 4, 2022.
Bill Marra, president and CEO of Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare, says the hospital’s services and programs will able to still function despite the attack, though there may have been some timing delays. (Jason Viau/CBC)
Full names, SINs and basic rates of pay were stolen, according to Marra, who added that they aren’t aware of any banking information having been taken. He said these people will be receiving a letter in the mail.
“Our resiliency has been once again tested by way of a crisis and once again we demonstrated that we put our people, our patients, our clients and our community first,” he said.
Erie Shores Healthcare
Kristin Kennedy, CEO of Erie Shores Healthcare in Leamington, said the biggest impact has been on their diagnostic imaging, with ultrasounds, CT scans and mammograms having to be rescheduled. Some of these appointments have been delayed by six weeks.
X-rays and nuclear tests, according to Kennedy, have continued.
By the end of November, Kennedy said, they anticipate that full capacity for imaging will be restored and that by the end of December, services will have fully resumed.
Kennedy said the reason for the delays is that radiologists have limited capacity to read the images.
Kristin Kennedy, president and CEO of Erie Shores HealthCare, says the ransomware attack’s biggest impact has been on their diagnostic imaging. (Dale Molnar/CBC)
She said to mitigate this issue, they are creating a separate system to “fill the current gap,” and this system will provide “redundancy” that will protect the imaging services against similar issues in the future.
The information of 350 current and previous staff members was stolen, according to Kennedy. In particular, she said, their names and SINs have been taken. The employees worked during two pay periods, June 2019 and January 2020.
She added that banking information is not part of this.
Kennedy said they are still looking at remaining data that might have been leaked.
Chatham-Kent Health Alliance
CEO Lori Marshall said that in the first few days of the attack, surgeries and procedures were rescheduled, but since then, the hospital has returned to “more normal” volumes.
The hospital said it has deferred new chemotherapy patients to London, but will transition those patients back once their systems are up and running.
Stroke patients have also been sent via ambulance to either Windsor Regional Hospital or London Health Sciences Centre.
Marshall said the hospital is relying on community partners to help them do imaging, but cancer patients with imaging needs are being sent to London.
‘The impact of the cyberattack extends far beyond the digital realm and when it affects an institution like a hospital, we know that it has real-life impacts,’ says Lori Marshall, CEO of the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance. (Dale Molnar/CBC)
“In times like these, it is easy to feel overwhelmed and frustrated and vulnerable. The impact of the cyberattack extends far beyond the digital realm and when it affects an institution like a hospital, we know that it has real-life impacts,” she said.
As for the data that has been leaked, Marshall confirmed a database report containing information on about 1,446 employees, who started working at the organization as of Feb. 2, 2021, was breached.
The information stolen includes names, addresses, SINs, gender, marital status, date of birth and pay rates. Marshall said no banking information was taken.
Marshall said these employees will be notified by the end of this week and early next week.
Hospitals address transparency concerns
Since the cyberattack took place, hospital IT provider TransForm and the impacted hospitals have released eight joint news statements.
CBC News has repeatedly asked for interviews or the opportunity to ask questions during the last four weeks, but has been declined.
Friday was the first time the hospital CEOs took questions from the media.
WATCH | Hospital CEOs respond to concerns around transparency:
Hospital CEOs defend transparency efforts on ransomware attack
Featured VideoBill Marra, the CEO of Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare, and David Musyj, CEO of Windsor Regional Hospital, respond to a question from CBC reporter Jennifer La Grassa on transparency following the cyberattack. In his response, Musyj refers to an expert CBC News spoke with last week who said TransForm, the IT provider at the centre of the attack, is being more transparent than he’s seen other companies in these positions be.
Before reporters asked questions, a spokesperson for one of the hospitals said that for “security reasons,” CEOs could not comment on the specific actions of the cybercriminal or the steps being taken to secure the new system.
When asked why CEOs waited four weeks to speak about the situation, as well as why they haven’t been more forthcoming with answering questions, Marra of Hôtel-Dieu Grace said he believes the hospitals have been very transparent.
In addition to several news releases, Marra said “our communication has been with our people, our patients, working with the privacy commissioner, having town halls, meeting with our staff one on one on the units, issuing letters and notices.”
“So there has been transparency. It may not meet the standard of some people, but we have done an exceptionally good job, in a very responsible and safe way, to not further compromise what we’ve already experienced,” he said.
He added they’ve had to protect the integrity of ongoing police investigations.
Saskatoon police are increasingly locking up people who are intoxicated by drugs and alcohol in police detention because there is nowhere else for them to go.
A report at Thursday’s Saskatoon Board of Police Commissioners detailed the impact people with severe addictions and mental health needs are having on the organization and the city as a whole.
Between Jan. 1, 2022 and Aug. 31, 2023, police recorded 17,802 arrests brought into SPS Detention. Of those, 31 per cent were booked in solely for being intoxicated by drugs or alcohol in a public place, an average of 15 people per day.
The report said police opted to arrest these people because they were in a vulnerable state and there were no detox beds or shelter spaces available.
“I think the report was pretty clear on some of the gaps in the social service providers, including the police, when it comes to people with complex needs,” Chief Troy Cooper said during the meeting.
More than half the people police are arresting for being intoxicated are homeless with no fixed address. The report says the only place for police to send people with these complex needs is the Saskatchewan Health Authority’s Brief Detox Unit, which only has 15 spaces available — six of which are earmarked for its social program.
Over the time period identified by police, the brief detox unit was at 120 per cent capacity, forcing police to release people back in the community the next morning without mental health or addiction support.
“Individuals who arrive at detention self-identifying as homeless still leave homeless. Those who are arrested with mental health and addictions challenges are still leaving with mental health and addictions challenges,” the report said.
Police also told the story of seven people police frequently arrest via case studies so their identities could be hidden.
One case study for a woman under the pseudonym “Sara” was detained 39 times, often arrested on consecutive days. She never committed any violent offences, but frequently behaved erratically due to her drug and alcohol use, which prompted fear from others attending the same community supports as her.
She died this year at the age of 53.
“There is nothing more dangerous to someone’s health than not having housing,” police board commissioner and city councillor Hilary Gough said.
“These aren’t stories. These are actual people in our community who we’ve lost because of that lack of continuity.”
Police compiled a top-10 list of people arrested for being intoxicated by alcohol and a top -0 list of people arrested for drugs. All 20 identified as Indigenous. One man was arrested by Saskatoon police 252 times.
Superintendent Darren Pringle, who helped compile the report, said the only time he was injured while on the job was when he was attacked by a drunk person he was arresting. After seemingly normal conversation, the person became aggressive and attacked Pringle. He broke his thumb on the hand he uses to handle his gun. The injury forced him to take on different responsibilities away from patrol for two months.
Another case study detailed the experience of “Chad,” who was arrested twice in the same week for breaking windows of businesses so he wouldn’t be homeless during the cold winter months.
“Folks who were starting to commit low-grade property offences just so they would be taken into custody, and with the cold weather coming, that’s how they were housing themselves,” Pringle told the board during the meeting.
Police say more officers hired as part of the province’s new action plan for homelessness and addictions will help, as well as two upcoming emergency shelter spaces with room for approximately 30 beds each.
However, the recent closure of the Lighthouse Stabilization Unit resulted in losing 30 beds, as well as the Saskatoon Tribal Council’s Emergency Wellness Centre not being in a position to support people with complex needs has put further pressure on opening the new provincial shelters.
Graham Construction has been selected as the construction firm for the St. Paul’s Hospital Front Entrance Expansion project through a two-stage procurement process.
A Request for Qualifications resulted in Graham Construction and PCL Construction Management Inc. moving forward to a Request for Proposals, where Graham Construction was ultimately selected as the successful team.
Communities in rural Saskatchewan are seeing improved access to acute and emergency services with the support of the Government of Saskatchewan’s Health Human Resources (HRR) Action Plan. Residents in Lanigan, Watrous, Biggar, Canora, Kamsack, Wolseley, Oxbow, and Porcupine Plain have benefitted from recent recruitment efforts, along with the use of innovative technology. Recruitment is also integral in retaining existing staff in some rural and remote communities.
“We are working to ensure residents of rural communities have the services they need and appreciate their ongoing patience and understanding as we work to restore and stabilize these important local health care services,” Saskatchewan Health Authority’s (SHA) Vice President Integrated Rural Health Brenda Schwan said.
It takes a combination of nurses, Combined Laboratory and X-ray Technology (CLXT) professionals, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel, and physicians to provide Emergency Room (ER) services and acute care beds and maintain safe, predictable patient care. Highlights of recent successes include the following:
Effective October 22, 2023 Lanigan Hospital has once again started providing emergency services seven days a week (8 a.m. to 7 p.m.) as opposed to just weekdays. This news was recently shared with the community after two additional Registered Nurses (RNs) were recruited through the Ministry of Health’s Human Resource Action Plan. Lanigan has also been designated as one of the sites to receive RNs from the Philippines.
As of September 24, Watrous Hospital has re-opened its ER to provide 24/7 services along with eight inpatient beds. The SHA successfully recruited a dedicated team of Registered Nurses (RNs), marking a pivotal step in the hospital’s journey toward providing quality and accessible care.
Three new Registered Nurses (RNs) have been recruited to Biggar & District Health Centre, providing additional support to maintain 24/7 ER services and operation of eight acute care beds in that community. All RN positions have now been filled. One of the first five RNs from the Philippines arriving in Saskatchewan this summer has been recruited to Biggar and will begin clinical placement in October 2023 and a second will arrive in February 2024. A nurse practitioner has also been recruited to work in Biggar.
The recruitment of two RNs for Canora Hospital and Collaborative Emergency Centre (CEC) has contributed to stabilizing staffing resources in that facility. Securing locum physician coverage has also minimized service disruptions and ensured patient access to acute care. The addition of a permanent Nurse Practitioner (NP) to provide walk-in clinic services has also improved access to primary health care (PHC), reducing pressure on the ER to help minimize service disruptions. This brings CEC to 2 permanent full-time Nurse Practitioners.
The addition of three RNs and one Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) to Kamsack Hospital has helped maintain the current ER hours from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. seven days a week, as well as the re-opening of eight beds (5 Acute, 3 ALC) in that community. The recruitment of a fifth physician to the community has also increased patient access to care through the expansion of PHC services to three neighboring First Nations communities.
Four new grad RN positions have been hired at Wolseley Memorial Integrated Care Centre, supporting progress towards a phased service resumption plan aimed at restoring emergency and acute services Monday to Friday, with virtual care after hours, weekends and statutory holidays. More recently, booked outpatient care services have also resumed, improving patient access to care locally.
Recently, the SHA has taken a significant step forward by launching the Virtual Physician (VP) pilot program in Oxbow and Porcupine Plain. This has resulted in the full resumption of 24/7 ER service and acute care admissions at Porcupine Carragana Hospital. The VP pilot program is an innovative temporary solution aimed at addressing physician shortages or coverage issues in the community. By utilizing HealthLine 811, nursing staff have been able to consult with remote physicians located elsewhere in the province during critical periods. This remote access allows for timely consultations and medical advice for patients.
These recent recruitment successes are being attributed to a number of Ministry of Health and SHA’s initiatives including:
enhancements to the Rural Physician Incentive Program (RPIP);
rural and remote recruitment incentive for individuals hired into hard-to-recruit classifications;
recruitment of health care professionals from the Philippines;
and, active promotion of employment opportunities for nursing graduates.
“We are pleased to see these focused efforts and HHR investments paying off with improved and expanded access to care as close to home as possible, and improving work environments with additional staff and technology enhancements. This work creates the foundation we will build on to achieve similar success in other rural communities,” Schwan said. “We remain committed to stabilizing services in rural communities to achieve our vision to improve the health and well-being of everyone, every day.”
The Government of Saskatchewan is providing one-time stabilization funding of $20 million to community-based fee-for-service family physicians in Saskatchewan. This funding is a transitional measure that will build capacity for physicians to eventually adopt a new made-in-Saskatchewan family physician payment model based on blended capitation.
Mental Health and Addictions Minister Tim McLeod announced 18 new addictions treatment spaces, including eight for youth, at Possibilities Recovery Center in Saskatoon.
“These new spaces are part of the Government of Saskatchewan’s commitment to adding 150 addictions treatment spaces across the province, a commitment which we have recently upped to a new target of adding 500 total addictions treatment spaces over the next five years,” McLeod said. “The new 18 spaces through Possibilities Recovery Centre in Saskatoon will improve access to addictions treatment so that we can help more people overcome addictions and live healthy lives in recovery.”
