Sask. adds a dozen more communities to rural health incentive program

A program offering incentives to help recruit health-care workers in rural areas of Saskatchewan is expanding to a dozen more communities.

According to the Ministry of Health, the communities of Canwood, Cudworth, Eston, Hafford, Langenburg, Leask, Loon Lake, Norquay, Sandy Bay, Stoughton, Strasbourg and Whitewood can begin offering the incentive packages of up to $50,000 for workers in designated, high-priority occupations in exchange for a three-year return-of-service agreement.

Read more:

• ‘It’s positive’: Communities happy to be added to health-care incentive list
• Sask. expands rural health recruitment incentive to 16 more communities
• Province provides update, reports progress on Sask. health-care recruitment

The ministry said since the incentive program was launched in 2022, it has helped reduce vacancies by 44 per cent in eligible communities, filling more than 650 “hard-to-recruit positions” around the province. A total of $8.7 million was budgeted for the program in 2026-27.

“We appreciate the Government of Saskatchewan’s continued support for rural communities through the expansion of the Rural and Remote Recruitment Incentive program,” Stoughton Mayor Stefan Clark said in a statement.

“Together with our partners at the RM of Tecumseh, this opportunity will support efforts to recruit a nurse practitioner and improve access to timely health care closer to home for residents of Stoughton and the surrounding area. It will help reduce travel for care and allow more seniors and families to remain in their community.”

The program’s incentives are offered to new, full-time employees in roles including registered nurses, registered psychiatric nurses, nurse practitioners, licensed practical nurses, continuing care assistants, medical laboratory technologists, medical laboratory assistants, medical radiation technologists and combined lab and X-ray technicians.

The 12 new communities can begin offering the incentive packages on Tuesday, the ministry added.

“Building a stronger, more stable health care workforce is essential to putting patients first and ensuring the right care is available, in the right place, and at the right time,” Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill said in a statement.

“The expansion of the Rural and Remote Recruitment Incentive program will continue to deliver real results by attracting more health professionals to communities that need them most.”

In April, Beauval, Buffalo Narrows, Carlyle, Creighton, Craik, Davidson, Ituna, Montmarte and Macklin were added to the incentive program, with the list now including 94 communities around the province.

Bruce Fidler, the mayor of Creighton, called it a positive and welcome announcement.

“We’ve had a shortage of nurses for a long time – but not only in our area, but all of northern Saskatchewan, so any communities that can be added to this for their recruitment project, absolutely it’s positive,” he said, speaking to 980 CJME in April.

More details on eligibility criteria and a full list of participating communities can be found on the ministry’s website.