Saskatchewan

cross-posted from: https://rss.ponder.cat/post/1027

For many Canadians, Saskatchewan—a province of over a million people in a space roughly the size of Texas—is something of an afterthought, a land of rolling prairies and infinite blue skies. But for those paying attention, Moe has become the face of a province that may have considerable sway over the nation’s climate policies and the heart of an increasingly Donald Trump-esque ideology. A man of nebulous personality, which shape-shifts as per the moment’s needs, Moe has established himself as one of the most popular premiers in the country. March data from the nonprofit Angus Reid Institute indicated that Moe had a 53 percent approval rating—one of only two provincial leaders in the country to exceed the majority mark that quarter.

The “watch me” moment has since become a defining aspect of Moe’s six years as premier—and, with it, his adversarial relationship with Prime Minister Trudeau’s federal Liberal government. As Simon Enoch, director of the Saskatchewan office of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, explains, this confrontational stance is Moe’s “one-trick pony,” which “seems to work.” Moe has successfully inched Saskatchewan politics further right—with extreme climate, LGBTQ2S+, education, and economic policies. The party has expanded the range of policy possibilities that the public is willing to accept. “You see consistently, over the past two or three years, a movement towards being a solid right-wing populist party, led by a right-wing populist guy in the form of Mr. Scott Moe,” says Ian Hanna, former special communications adviser for Wall. “There’s a transition in the party and a transition in the province.”

Still, “he’s going to win the next election,” Hanna says. The Saskatchewan electoral system is configured so Moe can lose almost every urban vote in the province and maintain his leadership in the general election. The question many around the country are left asking is: What makes him so popular?

A union welder at a potash mine in Saskatchewan will remain on suspension after refusing to give up his nightly toke of medical marijuana, following the ruling of a provincial labour arbitrator.

The centre will be located at Regina Centre Crossing on Albert Street, and will be operated by the Saskatchewan Health Authority.

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe expects residents could get less money back through the Canada Carbon Rebate following the province's decision not to remit the federal carbon tax on natural gas used for home heating.

The Saskatchewan Housing Corporation (SHC) and Lung Saskatchewan are teaming up to test radon levels in all of its properties over the next 10 years.

Both Regina public and catholic schools will be part of a one-day rotating strike on Monday that will see Saskatchewan teachers gather in front of the legislative building as spring sitting gets underway.

Ottawa has released the long-awaited details of the federal government's pharmacare plan with an initial commitment to cover some diabetes treatments and contraception. But it remains unclear whether Saskatchewan will follow Alberta’s lead to opt out of the plan.

Heavy snowfall is expected to affect much of central and southern Saskatchewan this weekend prompting Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) to issue special weather statements Thursday afternoon.

The Saskatchewan government said it performed a record number of surgeries over six months last year and is closing in on reaching its pre-pandemic waitlist of 25,000 patients.

New data is highlighting the difficulty of retaining healthcare workers in rural Saskatchewan as more doctors and nurses continue to leave the province.

Droughts are nothing new for southern Alberta, but experts say it is becoming more common to see similar conditions appear in northern parts of the province. While drought conditions might not be felt by most people living in northern Alberta, conditions hint to potentially worse conditions in years to come.

A pathologist has told a Saskatchewan coroner's inquest that a man who killed 11 people and injured 17 others died from a cocaine overdose after he was taken into police custody.

A judge in Prince Albert, Sask., has sentenced Kaij Brass to 16 years for manslaughter in the beating death of his 13-month-old son.

The court challenge of the Saskatchewan government’s school naming and pronoun policy will not be heard this week as the government seeks leave to appeal a judge's decision and a stay of proceedings.

Traditionally viewed as one of the cheapest places in town to find things like clothing, the prices at thrift stores are on the rise.

It's an attempt to bury this mess on budget day because going from a billion-dollar surplus to a billion-dollar deficit is unexplainable.

An Alberta clipper is bringing heavy snow and strong wind gusts across central Saskatchewan Monday, according to Environment Canada meteorologist Terri Lang. She recommends avoiding travel if you can.

Rotating teacher strikes, the withdrawal of noon-hour supervision and pulling extracurricular activities have been announced for a number of school divisions in Saskatchewan.

Amid an increasingly complex addictions fight, a new tool launched by the province last month has only been used once so far.

Gary Grewal has come under recent scrutiny for how much money his hotels have charged the Ministry of Social Services.

Water levels are being kept higher at Lake Diefenbaker in anticipation of lower mountain runoff this year.

Saskatchewan’s NDP opposition is accusing the provincial government of trying to secretly pass an extra $757 million of additional spending one month before the release of the next provincial budget.