The short answer is investment. And the question is — how is it that we somehow managed to build all our roads and infrastructure half a century ago and today we can’t even keep up with the potholes?
This question was pushed into the spotlight in recent days with the news stories surrounding hospital capacity, especially in the major cities, but it figures prominently in education as well.
Since the beginning of this century, Saskatchewan’s population has grown between 15 and 20 per cent but we have not expanded tertiary care beds in Saskatoon and Regina so we probably shouldn’t be surprised that hospitals are crowded.
Now, it’s not that money isn’t going into hospital construction. Many centres – from Humboldt to Swift Current, Moose Jaw, North Battleford and the Children’s Hospital – have been added with plans for Prince Albert, Weyburn and Yorkton in the works.
And we are not alone. A new report from StatsCan shows Saskatchewan lagging slightly behind other western Canadian provinces in capital renewal, which includes things like hospitals, but we are not out of step nationally, and ahead of the Maritimes.
