'We did get a little bit': Renewal of firefighting course, limited new funding for hospital among budget highlights in Yorkton
Yorkton Mayor Mitch Hippsley was optimistic he’d see more funding for the construction of the heavily anticipated Yorkton Regional Hospital in the latest provincial budget.
An increase in funding was provided. However, it was not exactly what Hippsley expected.
“We did get a little bit. Another $200,000 was allocated for planning for the hospital. Now they’re at $500,000 [to date]. No one spends $500,000 unless the intention is to build that hospital,” he told CTV News on Tuesday.
Hippsley called the extra funding a “step forward,” but said it’s “time for real action.”
He added that residents in the service area will have to fundraise 10 per cent of the total cost of the facility in the near future, which would have a price tag of roughly $30 million.
Yorkton MLA Greg Ottenbreit said the work behind the scenes is ongoing.
“We're expecting that [planning phase] to be completed sometime this spring and we can move onto the next phase, maybe site location and maybe some design work,” he told CTV News on March 23.
Besides the hospital, the provincial budget brought additional municipal revenue, amounting to around $120,000 more annually for the City of Yorkton.
New money is on its way to finish up renovations at the Yorkton Regional High School as well, according to Ottenbreit.
PARKLAND COLLEGE FUNDING BRINGS BACK FIREFIGHTING COURSE
After a one year pause, Parkland College firefighter course will return, thanks to new money in the budget.
$1.33 million will be allocated to the college to upgrade equipment and get the site near Melville up to standards.
Up to $250,000 in additional funding will head to the college for annual funding from the Ministry of Immigration and Career Training to deliver the firefighter course, and up to $210,000 in Capital Grant funding from the Ministry of Advanced Education.
The one year pause was caused by primarily the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Allison Dubreuil, Interim President and CEO of Parkland College and Cumberland College.
“We needed to reassess our delivery, but we also took that opportunity to conduct a fulsome, comprehensive review of the course,” she said Monday.
“[This funding will allow for] an enhanced relationship we have with the Government of Saskatchewan, and it will allow us [so] we can continue to deliver on our training needs.”
The 14-week program returns in July, with interested applicants able to submit their applications at any time.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.