Daily Herald Staff
In August the province of Saskatchewan announced that it is is expanding the Rural and Remote Recruitment Inventive (RRRI) program to include 12 additional communities, further strengthening efforts to recruit and retain health care professionals in areas facing ongoing staffing pressures.
The Northern Community of Sandy Bay is among the communities. Sandy Bay, Canwood, Cudworth, Eston, Hafford, Langenburg, Leask, Loon Lake, Norquay, Sa, Stoughton, Strasbourg and Whitewood are now eligible to offer incentive packages of up to $50,000 for a three-year return-in-service commitment in designated high-priority occupations. With this addition, 94 communities across Saskatchewan now participate in the program.
“Building a stronger, more stable health care workforce is essential to putting patients first and ensuring the right care is available, in the right place, and at the right time,” Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill said in a release.
“The expansion of the Rural and Remote Recruitment Incentive program will continue to deliver real results by attracting more health professionals to communities that need them most.”
Since 2022, the RRRI program has helped reduce vacancies by 44 per cent across eligible communities with more than 650 hard-to-recruit positions having been filled, contributing to improved service stability in rural and northern Saskatchewan.
The RRRI program was supported by an $8.7 million investment in the 2026-27 Provincial Budget to maintain and expand the program.
Incentives are available to new, permanent full time employees in nine high-priority health care occupations, including Registered Nurses and Registered Psychiatric Nurses, Nurse Practitioners, Licensed Practical Nurses, Continuing Care Assistants, Medical Laboratory Technologists, Medical Laboratory Assistants, Medical Radiation Technologists, Combined Lab and X-Ray Technicians.
The RRRI program is a key component of Saskatchewan’s Health Human Resources Action Plan, which has supported the recruitment of more than 7,500 health care professionals since 2023. The plan focuses on expanding training, strengthening retention, stabilizing rural and northern services and building a workforce that meets the needs of a growing province.
The eligibility for the additional 12 communities was effective Sept. 1.
