CUPE 5430 is raising serious concerns about the Saskatchewan government’s decision to pursue a third-party, privatized model for the proposed new long-term care homes in Estevan and Watson, warning that this approach risks delays, higher long-term costs, and negative impacts on resident care.
“The government is repeating a failed experiment,” said Bashir Jalloh, President of CUPE 5430. “Previous attempts to privatize long-term care in Saskatchewan and across Canada have shown that private, for-profit companies do not deliver better outcomes for residents, families, or workers. In the Regina area, the Saskatchewan Health Authority is currently taking over private long-term care homes because their pilot project did not work.”
CUPE 5430 warns that the recently announced decision to outsource construction, maintenance, and operations to private companies risks repeating the same mistakes and will introduce additional complexity and delays.
“Long-term care is not a business opportunity – it is a public service,” said Region 4 General Vice-President Arlene Picard. “Community members in Estevan have been fundraising for a new long-term care home for years. It’s insulting to learn the provincial government is now risking further delays by shirking the responsibility for the facility to the private sector.”
CUPE 5430 is calling on the provincial government to reverse course and commit to publicly built, publicly owned, and publicly operated long-term care homes in Watson and Estevan.
“We fully support the need to replace aging facilities and expand capacity,” said Jalloh. “But the best way to do that – while ensuring accountability, stability, and high-quality care – is through public investment and public delivery. Anything less puts residents and workers at risk.”