Prince Albert Mayor Bill Powalinsky says the provincial budget contains several important commitments for the city, particularly in health care and social supports, but argues the city’s biggest unmet need remains infrastructure funding.
In an interview following last week’s Chamber budget luncheon, Powalinsky said the clearest immediate local takeaway was Prince Albert’s municipal revenue sharing amount, which he said rose to about $10.1 million from a little over $9 million last year. He said that increase stood out right away from a municipal point of view.
“Well, I think what, of course, was immediate on most mayor’s minds would be the revenue sharing agreement,” Powalinsky said. “That was certainly something that we’re quite pleased to see.”
Asked whether the budget gives Prince Albert what it needs right now, Powalinsky said, “I don’t know if you’d find a mayor anywhere across Canada who would say all needs are being met.”
Still he said, one of the most important parts of the budget for Prince Albert is the province’s plan to ramp up health care recruitment. With the hospital expansion expected to bring hundreds of new positions, he said the city cannot afford to fall behind in the competition for workers.
“We’ve heard about the recruitment efforts that will be ramped up for health care professionals,” he said. “That, to me, is very important piece.”
He also broadly agreed with Premier Scott Moe’s message at the Chamber luncheon that the budget is about protecting Saskatchewan, saying health, education, prosperity and social supports remain central to that goal. He said continued construction of schools and health care facilities matters not just to Prince Albert, but to the wider region the city serves.
The mayor spoke especially strongly about the Victoria Hospital expansion, describing it as a project that will further cement Prince Albert’s position as a northern hub. He said the city is no longer just a gateway to the North, but increasingly a centre for education, trade, transportation and health care.
“We are no longer just a gateway city. We are a hub,” Powalinsky said. “And now we’re really going to establish the position as a hub for health care.”
He said the expansion should reduce the need for residents to travel farther for treatment and will likely bring wider economic benefits through housing demand, construction work and related business growth. Powalinsky said the city is looking forward to the hospital going online in 2028.
On the urgent care centre and complex needs facility, Powalinsky said both are important in the broader picture of community health and public safety. He described the urgent care centre as a needed middle ground between minor clinics and crowded emergency rooms, and suggested Prince Albert should also be thinking ahead about whether it can play a greater role in training future doctors as the province adds more medical education spaces.
For all the positives he identified, Powalinsky said the city’s most urgent long term need is still infrastructure. He pointed to pressures outlined in his recent state of the city address and said municipalities across Saskatchewan are facing the same reality of aging systems and rising costs.
“Clearly, it’s infrastructure, infrastructure funding,” he said, pointing to the need for two new fire stations, a police station, a wastewater treatment plant and continued work toward a convention and event centre.
Powalinsky also said Prince Albert needs to be ready to pursue larger economic opportunities. He pointed to dozens of major business and industry projects discussed by the province and said the city, Chamber and regional partners should work together to attract some of that activity to Prince Albert and area.
