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By BattlefordsNOW Staff

HEALTHCARE

Sask. expands rural health recruitment incentive to Battleford, Edam and Hudson Bay

Dec 9, 2025 | 2:10 PM

Saskatchewan is extending a major health-care recruitment program to three additional communities as the province continues efforts to shore up staffing in rural and remote areas.

The Rural and Remote Recruitment Incentive (RRRI) program now includes Edam, Battleford and Hudson Bay, bringing the total number of eligible communities to 73.

The incentive offers up to $50,000 over a three-year return-in-service agreement for new, permanent full-time workers in nine high-priority health occupations. The program targets communities facing, or at risk of, service disruptions due to staffing shortages.

“The Rural and Remote Recruitment Incentive Program has been very successful in attracting highly sought after health care workers such as nurses, medical technicians and continuing care assistants, to the rural communities throughout the province where they are most needed,” Rural and Remote Health Minister Lori Carr said in a statement issued Tuesday.

“Our government remains committed to improving access to high-quality care, close to home, for all Saskatchewan residents.”

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More than 500 hard-to-recruit positions have been filled since the program launched. Phase 1 ended in March 2025, and more than 400 participants are still completing their three-year service commitments.

Julia Pemberton, the Saskatchewan Health Authority’s vice-president of Integrated Northern Health, said expanding the program helps stabilize services across the province.

“By investing in our health care teams, we can ensure residents of Saskatchewan have seamless access to safe, equitable care as close to home as possible.”

The province allocated $8.7 million to the program for 2025-26, including $1.8 million to support up to 180 new applicants.

The RRRI is one of several recruitment tools under Saskatchewan’s Health Human Resources Action Plan, now in its fourth year. Other incentives include programs for rural physicians and medical specialists, for a combined $13-million investment.

A full list of eligible communities and occupations is available through the provincial government’s RRRI program website.

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cjnbnews@pattisonmedia.com