NOVEMBER 23, 2015

 

This week is a very special week for livestock producers in the province and a big week for agriculture in general because this is the 45th edition of Agribition. Agribition is the place where Saskatchewan livestock producers and producers across western Canada get a chance to showcase their hard work and dedication to the industry. People from around the world come to look at and purchase some of the best livestock genetics in the world.


Many Saskatchewan manufacturers also take this opportunity to present their latest inventions and sell their innovative products to the people from 70 different countries which will be attending Agribition along with tens of thousands of interested spectators. Joanne and I will be part of that crowd. If you get the chance, please take the opportunity to attend and support Saskatchewan's agricultural excellence.


You have often heard me take issue with Saskatchewan's health regions in this commentary. Last week, one of Moose Jaw's civic officials asked me if I had seen the Five Hills Health Region financial statement. I said "no I had not" but that I would certainly be interested in looking at it. I don't know if any of you have noticed, but unlike the provincial government, health regions seem to release their financial statements and not bother telling the public. This is wrong as every dollar spent in that system is taxpayers' dollars.


In fact I have found that these financial statements are not easy to find and decipher but after some hard looking, it appears in Saskatchewan's shrinking economy almost everyone of the senior officials in this health region have large wage increases. Five Hills now has a President and CEO, eight Vice Presidents, a Senior Medical Health Officer and a Medical Health Officer who are now dragging down over $2.7 million amongst themselves.


The President's salary went up by over $47,000. One of the Vice Presidents, the Finance individual, had a handy little raise of $182,000. The Vice President of Corporate Strategy and Marketing had a raise of over $49,000. Big question is....why does a health region need a Vice President for Corporate Strategy and Marketing when they are the only game in town? Could it be something to do with promoting "lean"?


The problem that I have with this whole structure from the beginning is that these people are supposedly at arm's length from government and therefore don't answer to government the same way that people in the Department of Health would. They are governed by a Board of Directors who are all political appointees. I'm sure these are all very fine people but they serve in this position because of their allegiance to the Sask Party not necessarily the taxpayer.