It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Regina health-care workers picket for better pay and working conditions
CBC Fri, April 19, 2024 Thursday’s rally in Regina, organized by Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), is the fourth in a series of strikes across Saskatchewan. (Liam Avison/CBC - image credit)
Dozens of health-care workers picketed outside of Regina's Pasqua Hospital on Friday to ask the province to address conditions in Saskatchewan's health-care system.
The rally, organized by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), was the fourth in a series across Saskatchewan, with the other three held in Weyburn, North Battleford and Prince Albert this month.
CUPE 5430 president Bashir Jalloh said the union has been at the bargaining table since September 2023 and is frustrated with the province's pace.
"The process is extremely slow. Our members are getting frustrated. People want meaningful wages," Jalloh said. Bashir Jalloh, president of CUPE healthcare workers, says they’re bargaining with the province on various fronts since September 2023.
CUPE 5430 President Bashir Jalloh says the union has been bargaining with the province on various fronts since September 2023. (Liam Avison/CBC)
Jalloh said workers are looking for a "significant'' pay raise in line with inflation, better working conditions and investments to improve Saskatchewan's retention rate for health-care workers.
As of Friday, healthcareersinsask.ca had 1,473 vacant job postings. Only 401 — less than a third — were full-time permanent positions. Jalloh said the postings are a major concern.
"No one is going to leave Toronto or Calgary to come to Regina for a casual job. They have to post full-time jobs. There are vacancies. It does not make sense."
When asked about worker compensation and the rally, Saskatchewan's Ministry of Health said in an emailed response that this year's budget included $142 million to support the government's Health Human Resources Action Plan to recruit, train and retain health-care workers.
In the last decade, Saskatchewan's consumer price index has gone up by about 25 per cent. In comparison, CUPE says, wages for health-care workers have only increased by 14 per cent.
Cathy Curtis, a sterile processing technician at Pasqua Hospital in Regina, commutes from Vibank, a village about 50 kilometres southeast of the city. She said the mismatch between rising costs and her wages has forced her to live from one paycheque to the next.
"I don't come to this city on my days off, I don't go out to eat. I am literally just bills and groceries."
Curtis said workplace conditions have only exacerbated the plight of health-care workers in the province.
"Nobody's even willing to come in for overtime anymore. People are tired. People are exhausted. You can't just keep beating us to the ground," she said. Cathy Curtis is a sterile processing technician at the Pasqua Hospital, commutes from Vibank, a village 32 miles out of Regina. She says the mismatch between rising costs and her wages has forced to live from one paycheck to the other.
Cathy Curtis says the mismatch between rising costs and her wages has forced to live from one paycheque to the other. (Liam Avison/CBC)
Maryka Gai, another worker in the sterile processing department at Pasqua Hospital, said her paycheques haven't kept pace with increases in her grocery bills.
"When I got into this profession, I never thought it would come to this, that I'd be marching out here calling out for a rise in wages," she said.
Gai said she doesn't want to leave Saskatchewan, but has thought about it.
"If only our wages could go up, there is no reason for me to leave," she said. Maryka Gai works with the sterile department at the Pasqua hospital.
Maryka Gai works in sterile processing at Pasqua Hospital. (Liam Avison/CBC)
Opposition NDP rural and remote health critic Jared Clarke was at the rally. He said health-care workers shouldn't have to rally outside of a hospital to be heard.
"It's only fair that the health-care workers get to bargain in good faith with the government, that the government shows them respect and listens to the concerns that they're bringing forward," Clarke said.
The Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations negotiates with unions, including CUPE. It didn't get back to CBC's request for a comment on the bargaining process.
Saskatchewan's Ministry of Health said in an emailed response that it's aware of CUPE's protests. However, the ministry refused to comment on the bargaining process.
"Contract negotiations are currently underway and it would be inappropriate to comment," the ministry said in an emailed response.
Thursday, October 26, 2023
Saskatchewan throne speech outlines plans for province's future
When Justice Minister Bronwyn Eyre talked last week about Saskatchewan’s need to “right the imbalance,” she couldn’t have been more right … although perhaps not in the way she intended.
Imbalance , as articulated by the justice minister, is dog-whistle nonsense — a bone to the extreme right in this province to quietly inform them that this government was all about family values pushed by the modern-day U.S. Republicans and their ultra-conservative religious base.
It might have been dressed up in the more palatable catchphrase of “parental rights,” but make no mistake that this was a blatant attempt to curry favour with voters thinking of bolting to the Saskatchewan United Party, which has had Premier Scott Moe’s government spooked since the Aug. 10 Lumsden-Morse byelection.
Things didn’t exactly go according to plan.
In that special emergency sitting to pass amendments to the Education Act to include the “parental right” to be informed when under-16 children’s preferred name or pronoun use changes at school, the Sask. Party government was absolutely lambasted by the courts, lawyers, teachers, child psychologists, the children’s advocate and the Human Rights Commission.
It was a three-blown-tire car wreck. Something more than a tire “rebalancing” was required. The government needed to find smoother road. Enter this week’s throne speech, which — perhaps surprisingly — didn’t even so much as mention parental rights. Not in the press release. Not in the 19 pages read by Lt.-Gov. Russ Mirasty.
Moe’s explanation for this was something less than clear — almost as strange as his explanation of why the government has suddenly dropped its defence of its pronoun case in court after hiring private legal counsel to defend it. (The premier essentially said pronouns are now old news … although that hardly explains why they weren’t mentioned, given that “old news” might very well have been the theme of a throne speech that largely harped on past accomplishments like adding 180,000 people since 2007.)
The nature of Wedensday’s throne speech only heightens suspicion that the pronoun bill and emergency sitting was truly a spur-of-the-moment thing, decided after Justice Michael Megaw ruled the policy would cause “irreparable harm”.
So the better strategy was to curtail the politics and move back toward a more relatable agenda, which Wednesday’s throne speech largely did.
Sure, there were the usual shots at the federal Liberal government — specifically the need to apply last year’s Saskatchewan First Act to the federal Clean Electricity Regulations. But now, we’re pretty much numb to the gore of jousting with Ottawa.
There is pending legislation guarding people’s right to wear a poppy in the workplace on Nov. 11. (Again, Moe was less than specific when it came to which workplaces prohibited poppy wearing.)
Similarly bizarre is the announcement of sending a substantial Saskatchewan delegation to the United Arab Emirates for the COP28 Conference, which sounds like more questionable ministerial travel.
But most of the throne speech clearly fit with “building and protecting,” like the new provincial sales tax rebate for new homeowners, retroactive to last April.
There was nothing for renters, but the government claims its Secondary Suite Program to more easily build rental accommodation in single-family dwellings will alleviate shortages.
Other issues to address needs included presumptive cancer coverage for firefighters, hiking the smoking and vaping age to 19 years from 18, the new Saskatchewan Employment Incentive program to bolster low-income working families with dependent children, 500 new addiction treatment spaces under the Action Plan for Mental Health and Addictions and 30 new complex needs emergency shelter spaces in Regina and Saskatoon.
Add in new or previously announced health facility projects in Regina, Saskatoon, Prince Albert, Weyburn, La Ronge and Grenfell and new schools in Regina, Saskatoon, Lanigan, Moose Jaw and La Loche.
There was actually little new in this housekeeping throne speech — perhaps surprising giv en that an election i s just a year away.
But less surprising is the government’s desire to see things simmer down a bit. That’s pretty much what this throne speech tries to do. Mandryk is the political columnist for the Regina Leader-Post and the Saskatoon StarPhoenix.
"I think there's going to be an army there': Advocates to rally in Saskatoon against new Sask. education policies
Fran Forsberg, one of the organizers of a rally set to take place Sunday afternoon at Saskatoon MLA Don Morgan's office, says schools need to be a safe place for children to be themselves — whether or not they come from an accepting home.
Fran Forsberg is an advocate for trans and gender diverse youth in Saskatchewan. PHOTO BY MATT SMITH /Saskatoon StarPhoenix
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Following new education policies announced this week that will require Saskatchewan youth under 16 to get parental permission to change their names or pronouns in schools, and that ban outside groups from giving sex-ed presentations in class, many educators and advocates are speaking out against the changes.
Fran Forsberg is one of the organizers of a rally set to take place Sunday afternoon at Saskatoon MLA Don Morgan’s office, where she and others will voice their opposition to the policies.
When Forsberg heard about the new policies on Tuesday, she recalled a conversation she had with now-Education Minister Dustin Duncan about rights and dignity for transgender people in Saskatchewan more than six years ago.
“He said to me that he was a 40-year-old from (Weyburn), so he didn’t really understand or know about all this,” she said. “And I said, in this day and age, where this information is so readily available, his kind of ignorance is not acceptable.
“Now, he’s had a lot of time to learn. And I’m older than him by 20 years. I learned about transgender people. I educated myself and I understand how important this issue is. What’s his excuse?”
Jolene Brown, who sits on the board of Prince Albert Pride, says these new policies are “harming more than helping, while pretending to help.” Prince Albert Pride is calling on the government to rescind Tuesday’s announcement.
“To me, this policy change is not positive,” said Brown. “It solves no existing problem. It just shackles teachers’ ability to help (and) all this is doing is removing resources. It’s putting a cage around teachers, and it’s putting a cage around kids, too. I just can’t imagine how a parent would want that.”
Forsberg says schools need to be a safe place for children to be themselves — whether or not they come from an accepting home.
“Being a foster parent, I’ve seen so many kids literally kicked out of their homes because of their sexual or gender diversity,” she said. “I’ve seen physical violence towards these children and youth.
“The government is saying this is for the safety and well-being of children and youth, but I think they’re just pandering to the far-right. It’s ridiculous, and it’s so backwards.”
Brenda Montgrand, who works as a school counsellor at Hector Thiboutot Community School in the village of Sandy Bay, says that especially in remote, isolated communities like hers schools need to be safe havens for LGBTQ2S+ youth.
“They hang out in the school, even after classes in the evening,” she said. “If I was doing something in the evening — even showing a movie and having a talk about it afterwards — they’ll stay for that. Because a lot of them don’t want to go home. It’s not comfortable there, or they may not feel safe. So it’s nice to have them here, and we don’t mind being there for them.”
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Some of Montgrand’s gay, trans and two-spirit students have recently started a GSA. She says these students are “brave, and they want to do something,” and eager to learn more about their own identities and those of their friends.
“We want to be able to talk openly amongst each other,” she said. “We all need to be able to look and talk more openly. But we need more, in that area, for them to learn about what it is to live a gay life and to be more comfortable. And if these kids are getting treated differently because they’re changing how they want to be called, that’s going to have an effect on them.”
Forsberg also worries about how the changes to sex education in schools will affect the rates of STIs and unplanned pregnancies in Saskatchewan, which are already much higher than the national average.
“When we know better, we do better,” she said. “This education can do nothing but help kids make the right decisions for them. I know of nobody who has ever been harmed by too much education; quite the contrary.”
Forsberg says speakers at the rally on Sunday will include teachers, community advocates, and Saskatchewan NDP education critic Matt Love. She expects many more people from the community will turn out to voice their opposition, as well.
“I think there’s going to be an army there; I really do,” she said.
'A protected right': Saskatchewan family speaks out over pronoun and name changes
Dennie Fornwald, an early childhood educator, embraces her 10-year-old child, Kiké Dueck, in Regina on Aug. 24, 2023. Fornwald says she's upset with the Saskatchewan Party government's decision to require parental consent when children under 16 years old want to change their names or pronouns at school, as it would affect children, such as Dueck, who is nonbinary. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeremy Simes
The Canadian Press Published Saturday, August 26, 2023 10:21AM EDT
Kiké Dueck loves gym class, especially long-distance running.
The 10-year-old, who is nonbinary, says everyone at school "is really good about gender," but knows not all parents are accepting.
"There's a few people in my school that are in the LGBTQ2S+ community but are afraid to tell their parents," said Dueck, sitting beside their mom, Dennie Fornwald, in their Regina home.
"I don't know anybody in my class that has wanted to change their name, except for one. But for pronouns, there is one person."
The mother added, "There was one kid that said, 'Hey, I'm not ready to use these pronouns at home yet.'"
That's one reason why Fornwald, an early-childhood educator at a public school in Regina, is concerned about Saskatchewan's new changes requiring parental consent when children under 16 years old want to change their names or pronouns.
She said because kids will need their parents to sign a consent form, it would likely result in some having to go back into the closet.
Fornwald also worries about the changes affecting her own kids, saying it could embolden people to express homophobic or transphobic views. She has another child who is gender diverse.
"I've been teaching a long time," she said, with tears welling in her eyes.
"I know a lot of kids that this is going to affect negatively, kids whose families I know and I like. I think of all the kids out there who don't have a safe person at home — hopefully yet. I think some of them could get there."
Earlier this week, Saskatchewan Education Minister Dustin Duncan announced the changes he said stemmed from concerns he heard from some parents and teachers. He said he also wanted to standardize policies across all school divisions.
Duncan also announced parents could pull their children from all or some sexual education courses, and that third parties can no longer teach those courses.
“If we are requiring school divisions to get parental consent to a half-day field trip to the science centre, I think we need to be treating this issue with the same amount of seriousness," Duncan said.
Fornwald balked at that comparison.
"This is different, this is identity," she said. "This is something essential, a protected right."
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association has said it's considering legal challenges against the province for the move, saying it puts some LGBTQ children at risk if they're not accepted at home.
"I just found that it was quite surprising," Dueck said. "(Kids) need a safe place to discover who they are."
Duncan said teachers would be required to address students by their birth name if their parents did not provide consent, something human rights groups say is also harmful.
Fornwald said her child was initially a little scared but then felt relieved after opening up about being nonbinary, or neither male nor female.
As an educator, she said she won't out any kids.
"I'll work from an assumption that families want what's best for their kids. I always start the year getting to know families with that assumption in mind," she said.
"For those times that I'm not sure if we're on the same page when it comes to gender diversity, I know that the curriculum supports me to support all of my students."
Duncan said teachers won't be penalized for not following the policy.
Jaimie Smith-Windsor, president of the Saskatchewan School Boards Association, said the changes have put school divisions in a "very difficult position," and has asked the province to pause the policy until the child advocate's independent review is completed.
Smith-Windsor said the changes cast doubt on teachers' relationships with parents, despite parents being involved.
"It's definitely not the message we would send to the public, to parents, and especially to students and staff when they return to school in a couple of weeks' time."
Fornwald said parents have always been welcome in the classroom and to read the curriculum.
"I trust that they care for and want the best thing for their kids, and I want them to know that I want what's best for my students," she said.
"I view kids as individuals, as full humans. And I think that the only time that I would have a problem letting parents in is if I think it's violating the privacy and the rights of my students. Otherwise, we're a team."
The mother looked at her child and said she hopes the adults can figure it out.
"You're also kids, and kids need to be kids."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 26, 2023.
Thursday, July 06, 2023
Thunder Bay
Road trips lose power as charger outages leave northern Ontario EV drivers stranded
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Non-Tesla EV drivers couldn't go from Thunder Bay to Sault
An electric vehicle (EV) is plugged into an Ivy Charging Network Level 3 charger. Ivy's chargers in White River, Ont., are out of service while the company waits for a new transformer to arrive. (Submitted by Devin Arthur)
Some electric vehicle drivers in northern Ontario say the charging network between Thunder Bay and Sault Ste. Marie is failing those who don't drive Teslas.
CCS and CHAdeMO fast chargers in Marathon, White River and Wawa were down for most of June; the Ivy location in White River has been out of service since mid-April.
Tesla chargers in the region were still working, according to reports on the forum PlugShare, where drivers update each other on charger status, but they are not currently compatible with non-Tesla vehicles.
"June was a rough month for this area," said Real Deschatelets, a volunteer with the Electric Vehicle Association of Northern Ontario (EVANO).
"There was a huge zone between Sault Ste. Marie and Terrace Bay that had no fast charging available. Even Level 2, there was almost nothing. … The biggest disappointment in owning an EV is public charging — public fast charging."
The federal government has been promoting EV adoption as an important pillar in the fight against climate change, offering incentives worth $5,000 off the purchase price of a vehicle.
Fewer Canadians seriously considering EV purchases
Ottawa wants EVs to account for 20 per cent of all new vehicles sold by 2026, and plans to phase out sales of vehicles with internal combustion engines by 2035.
But a new survey published last week by J.D. Power found only around a third of Canadians are considering EVs as their next vehicle purchase, and that number is trending downward. Those who reject EVs cite limited range and lack of charging stations as key reasons.
Ian McEwan's experience illustrates their fears.
McEwan set off on a road trip to Halifax last month in his new Ford F-150 extended range vehicle.
He topped up his charge in Nipigon and Terrace Bay, but the Petro-Canada app listed the company's chargers in Marathon in Wawa as out of service.
McEwan decided to get his car juiced up instead at the Ivy charger in White River. But when he got there, he discovered the charger was down too.
"Do I go forward, where I have enough power to get to, but not past [Wawa]? Or do I go backwards and hope I have enough [charge] to make it back to Terrace Bay?" he asked.
Complicating the risk assessment was the fact mobile phone service is spotty between cities in parts of the region, meaning a person with a dead battery could easily find themselves at the side of the road with no way to call for help.
Ian McEwan charges his Ford F-150 Lightning during a trip to Nova Scotia last month. After topping up his charge in Nipigon and Terrace Bay, the Petro-Canada app listed the company's chargers in Marathon in Wawa as out of service. (Submitted by Ian McEwan)
In the end, McEwan pressed forward to Wawa, but was unable to find a working charger.
So he booked a room in a hotel and arranged a tow truck to get his vehicle to Sault Ste. Marie the next day.
"I was talking to the tow truck driver and he said, 'Oh this happens a lot because it has been down for at least two months,'" he said.
Suncor Energy, which owns Petro-Canada, did not respond to CBC's inquiry about its charging station outages.
Supply chain delays blamed for long outage
However, drivers posting on PlugShare reported the Wawa charger was back online on June 28.
The Marathon charger was working again on June 30.
A spokesperson for Ivy told CBC News the White River charging station was down due to a damaged transformer, and "there are significant delays in obtaining transformers, which has resulted in an extended timeline for bringing this station back online."
One towing company and hotel operator in White River said it's a "horrendous inconvenience" when the chargers aren't operating.
'Towed about a half a dozen out of White River'
"I think we've towed about a half a dozen out of White River," Angelo Bazzoni said when asked how many drivers he'd had to rescue in June due to dead batteries.
"Some of them we've accommodated in our motel property where … people spent the evening, and were able to slow charge their vehicles and get into Thunder Bay."
Deschatelets has emailed several MPs and met with Thunder Bay-Superior North MP Patty Hajdu about the issue.
She said the government has spent more than $1 billion on charging infrastructure since 2015, but it does not build chargers itself, relying instead on proponents to do so.
There are approximately 45,000 chargers across Canada right now, she added.
The goal is to have more than 84,000 by 2027.
In a statement to CBC News, Natural Resources Canada also reiterated the government's work to fund charging infrastructure, adding it does track charging ports on an interactive map.
"The federal government recognizes the importance of having a fully functional and reliable charging system," the statement reads. "Federal programs fund a fraction of project costs to ensure project proponents are committed to the long-term viability of their charging infrastructure, which helps support greater reliability. Reliability is also factored into application processes and funding requirements."
Deschatelets said he has also spoken with Petro-Canada and Ivy, which operate the chargers in the northern region.
He said he hopes Tesla's plans to open its chargers to all EVs will improve the situation for drivers.
"People would be losing their minds if gas stations all went down in this whole area — that's the reality of EVs right now."
Saskatoon
Electric vehicle users say travel plans have to be adapted due to unreliable charging infrastructure in Sask.
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'It's not accelerating like I would have hoped,' says one of
Glenn and Shannon Wright were one of the first registered electric vehicle owners in Saskatchewan. For years, they have used their EV for the half-hour commute to Saskatoon but say long distance trips are still a concern for many as EV infrastructure in Saskatchewan needs a boost. (Pratyush Dayal/CBC)
Electric vehicle drivers say they are having to grapple with a slowly growing infrastructure in Saskatchewan.
As of July 3, there were 1,446 electric vehicles, or EVs, registered in Saskatchewan, according to Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI).
Glenn and Shannon Wright of Vanscoy, Sask., were among the first 40 registrants of EVs in Saskatchewan and have been driving their car for daily commute for the past five years, saving what they estimate is about $21,000 worth of gasoline.
"There was very little charging infrastructure then. It was very difficult. It's not accelerating like I would have hoped, yet I see new gas stations building all around," Glenn said. "We need more clean infrastructure as we try to decarbonize."
Glenn said there is a lot of misinformation around EVs in Saskatchewan which is a contributing factor to their slow adoption. Wright has run in Saskatchewan elections for the NDP, the Green Party and as an independent candidate. He is also a board member of SaskEV, a group of EV drivers and enthusiasts in Saskatoon, and said their membership is inching closer to the 100 mark.
Glenn Wright says it is difficult to find Level 3 chargers that can charge a vehicle in an hour. There are level two chargers on some highways but they take up to nine hours for a full charge depending on the type of EV and environmental conditions. (Travis Reddaway/CBC)
Nipawin is one of some central and northern communities that were starting to address the need for charging stations to make the areas friendly to tourists. The town had planned to install three charging stations. Many members of the public opposed the move and in an unanimous decision recently, the council rescinded that motion.
"Not installing charging in Nipawin is hurting the community from tourism dollars and it's making it less accessible for people," he said, noting he can understand some concerns around mining for car material among others.
"It's sort of like 1950 where a community is saying we don't want power to run through the community, not realizing the benefits that come with it… it's unfortunate that Nipawin made this decision. They will regret it."
Joel Cardinal, chief administrative officer for Nipawin, said the town was eligible for a federal grant through Éco-West Canada.
"But the general consensus among the public was very much against the installation. They think this is something private businesses should pursue," Cardinal said.
"It's a fair point that this decision would close off the town essentially from any EV traveller willing to come to town. We still might have to put this infrastructure down the line. There is a void and the pressure to provide such service will only grow."
WATCH| Lack of electric vehicle charging stations in Sask. impacting summer travel plans for some:
Summer road trips have begun but if you are an electric vehicle driver, hitting the highway can be challenging. As CBC's Pratyush Dayal reports, the lack of charging stations can hurt tourism.
Charging deserts in Saskatchewan
Glenn said presently Highway 1 and Highway 16, or the Yellowhead Highway, are two highways in Saskatchewan that are well serviced with charging stations.
"But if you are beyond those two, it's much more difficult to find reliable charging infrastructure."
Glenn said on the route to Meadow Lake, La Loche, La Ronge and any place north of the latter, there are many gaps with almost no superchargers and only a few level two charging stations available. The level two charging stations can provide roughly 40 kilometres of distance for every hour of charging.
"Many EV drivers have to make a detour to Swift Current from Saskatoon in order to access high speed charging, as there is no infrastructure on the direct path from Saskatoon to Calgary," he said.
The couple said EVs should be looked at as a public service as there are no profits to be made there. However, the environmental benefits are abound. They suggest removing provincial sales tax on EVs to boost their adoption in the province.
"There are charging deserts in the province where you have to go out of the way to find a charging station," Shannon Wright said. "There are gaps in the infrastructure."
Scott McGregor, spokesperson for SaskPower, agrees. He said SaskPower's Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program, which is supported by Natural Resources Canada's Zero Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program, will have 20 communities that will be awarded up to $200,000 to install fast chargers.
"Six contracts have been awarded in Davidson, Outlook, Prince Albert, North Battleford and Yorkton. First two are in service and the other four by the end of the year. Three additional would be next year," he said noting all are level three chargers.
SaskPower does not track the number and levels and locations of chargers in Saskatchewan, McGregor noted.
The couple says they have had black smoke blown at their car and on instances been “shown the finger” for driving an EV with a rear side reading “an electric car would save you $300 a month”. They say this mindset coupled with misinformation and lack of proper EV infrastructure adds to the slow adoption of EVs in the province. (Pratyush Dayal/CBC)
Shannon said many of the initial chargers were put up at gas stations which would mean waiting at that location for an hour while their Chevrolet Bolt charges.
"We are stuck in a cultural mindset that you are driving a car, so you need to stop at a filling station made for cars. People building these stations don't have EVs or are not thinking about it."
She said a charging station by restaurants, museums, libraries or civic centres would be more apt. Additionally, EV owners should be billed for the amount of energy they consume to charge their vehicles and not the time they spend charging, Shannon said.
The couple have had black smoke blown at their car from diesel trucks or "shown the finger" for driving an EV with a rear side reading "an electric car would save you $300 a month".
Jim Clifford, an associate professor at University of Saskatchewan, recently took a long trip driving his Tesla Model Y range from Saskatoon to Vancouver to San Francisco and back.
"Saskatoon is probably in one of the worst populated zones in North America. Roads to Kindersely, Rosetown, all the way to Calgary, have no superchargers or level 3 charger of any kind," he said.
"It takes an hour and a half to drive down to Swift Current to charge and then again take onto the long journey."
Clifford said the technology is ready for mass adoption for EVs but in Saskatchewan, it does not exist past Lac La Ronge.
"Saskatchewan is probably one of the worst provinces in Canada for EVs," he said, noting how B.C. is leading the way to boost EV infrastructure.
"BC Hydro, the provincial electricity company, has started building fast chargers everywhere, so one can now get up to Jasper using the BC Hydro network."
Jim Clifford says the biggest pike he ever caught was at the dam in Nipawin but he will prefer fishing elsewhere until the town gets EV infrastructure. (Submitted by Jim Clifford)
A model, Clifford said, Saskatchewan can replicate to boost tourism and connect EV travellers from other provinces to all the fishing and hunting areas in the province. He said Tesla is installing its chargers in parts of the U.S. and Canada and it could be an opportunity for SaskPower to swoop in.
"SaskPower is aware of other jurisdictions taking initiative and installing their own charging stations but there are no present plans to follow that suit. But we are always reevaluating," McGregor said.
Clifford said other communities should also think about including EV infrastructure as it is a great way to bring people into community, stores and cafes as their EVs charge.
"The biggest pike I ever caught was at the dam in Nipawin in October 2020. I am probably not going to go there unless there is EV infrastructure. I might rather go fishing near [Prince Albert] where there is that infrastructure."
Regina resident Naval Madiratta owns two Teslas and said he too would not take a trip to Nipawin.
"I won't set out to any area that doesn't have superchargers. I would spend my tourism dollars in more progressive communities," the 38-year-old said. "Saskatchewan is probably the worst I have seen in my travel for EV infrastructure."
As vehicle manufactures, like General Motors and Volvo, are planning on switching to Tesla's extensive charging network beginning early next year, Madiratta said there would be more demand, especially for Teslas which just take $12 for the full tank.
"Going out to some less travelled areas in Saskatchewan can be a hiccup. Last year, my friends and I went to Denver, Colorado from Regina. On the fastest route to take, there is no supercharge between Regina and Glendive, Montana. It's almost 350 to 400 kilometeres," he said.
Regina resident Naval Madiratta who owns two Teslas says there should be more level three charging stations in Saskatchewan. (Submitted by Naval Madiratta)
A longer route with an added hour of detour to Weyburn would have to be taken but the group took their "chance and arrived with two per cent battery at Glendive".
At the Elk Ridge resort near Prince Albert National Park, Madiratta said there were only level two charging spots available in the vicinity which would have meant up to nine hours of charging to get the vehicle going.
"Unless you are by the water for nine hours, it's not the best solution. I had my portable charger, so we pulled out the stove and plugged my portable charger into the stove outlet and we charged my and my friend's car. It was inconvenient," he said.
"We need more level three charging stations in Saskatchewan. Those chargers are not for the people living in that community, but people travelling to that community. That will give them an opportunity to capture some tourism dollars."
