The Saskatchewan NDP is calling out the provincial government for suppressing a comprehensive healthcare report, accusing the Sask Party of misleading the public about the true state of local medical services.
At a July 23 news conference in front of the Lloydminster Hospital, opposition shadow minister for health Meara Conway stood alongside local community advocates to release the full 261-page Lloydminster Health Service Needs Assessment.
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The document, commissioned jointly by the Saskatchewan and Alberta governments at a cost of over $250,000, highlights deep structural gaps across the region’s healthcare system.
*This document was obtained by the Saskatchewan NDP and was provided to journalists on July 23, 2026.*
Conway criticized the Sask Party government for withholding the full report and instead publishing a four-page summary that omitted its primary findings and recommendations.
“There could not be more daylight between this four-page summary and the 261-page needs report,” Conway said. “What is shocking is how clearly and comprehensively this report confirms those concerns, and that the Sask. Party chose not to share these with the public.”
According to Conway, the undisclosed report reveals critical failures across multiple areas of local care, including:
- Inadequate Facilities: The Lloydminster Hospital is no longer equipped to handle current patient volume or future demand.
- Primary Care Deficits: Access to primary care in the region sits below the provincial average in Saskatchewan, which already ranks lowest among Canadian provinces.
- Mental Health Gaps: Emergency departments and law enforcement act as the primary response for mental health crises due to a total lack of local psychiatric beds and a 132 per cent staffing shortfall, supported by only one psychiatrist for a catchment area of 217,000 people.
- Surgical and Emergency Delays: Emergency room wait times have doubled, while surgical wait times consistently exceed provincial targets.
- Capacity Strain: Seniors’ care and critical care infrastructure face severe pressure, with the regional population over age 75 projected to grow by 77 per cent over the next decade.
Conway noted that many of the findings mirror issues previously documented in a 2013 assessment that was largely left unaddressed by the province.
Local leaders joining Conway expressed frustration over recurring delays and a perceived lack of commitment from provincial authorities.
Darrell Dunn, president of the Lloydminster Concerned Citizens for Seniors Care Society, said key facility upgrades — such as those discussed for the local Jubilee Home — have been continuously stalled while waiting for report releases.
Christian Apostolovski – Meridian Source
“The 2013 report is very clear in terms of what was needed, and very little was ever done to address the issues in that report,” Dunn said. “Taxpayer money paid for that report, they promised that it would be a platform to move forward, and the response is to hide it. And that has to be dealt with.”
Paul Richer, chair of the Lloydminster and District Health Advisory Council, emphasized that the regional health crisis impacts residents across provincial borders.
“This is not a Lloydminster thing. This is 217,000 people,” Richer said, urging both the Saskatchewan and Alberta governments to pool resources transparently. “My advocacy is for the full release above the table of the study. This is what the community worked for.”
Christian Apostolovski – Meridian Source
Responding to the findings, Conway committed that an NDP administration would adopt the report’s recommendations as a roadmap for regional health investments, prioritizing primary care and community-based mental health services to reduce strain on emergency departments.
Conway confirmed plans to officially table the full 261-page assessment in the Legislative Assembly when proceedings resume in October.
The Ministry of Health previously released a summary stating local healthcare needs were largely being met by existing service levels, characterizing the full assessment as an informational tool rather than a formal roadmap for capital commitments.
More to come.
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