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Bonk to rescind Sask. Party nomination, run federally

The Saskatchewan Party MLA for Moosomin will not be seeking another term.

Steven Bonk was previously nominated as a Sask. Party candidate for the new constituency of Moosomin-Montmartre, but has forfeited the nomination to seek the federal seat of Souris-Moose Mountain. Bonk was first elected in 2016, and served in cabinet as Minister for the Economy from 2017-2018.

This news comes as incumbent MP Robert Kitchen announced he will not seek another term. Kitchen is from Estevan and was first elected in 2015. In a statement, Kitchen said, “It has been a great honour and privilege to serve the people of southeast Saskatchewan as their member of Parliament, and to represent them in Ottawa for the last decade.” Kitchen had previously announced he would seek another term but said he changed his mind.

In a statement released on X, Premier Scott Moe said, “I want to thank Steven for his service to the people of his constituency and our province and I wish him all the best in the future.” Mr. Bonk was not quoted in the release.

Bonk joins a long list of incumbent Saskatchewan Party MLAs not running in the 2024 election. In a statement, the party says it has 27 incumbents and 24 new candidates with more to come.

Contested race for Prince Albert Mayor

A resident of Prince Albert will look to challenge the city’s incumbent Mayor this fall.

Bill Powalinsky has announced his intention to run for Mayor of Prince Albert this fall. Having moved to PA in 1984, he says he wants to see the city return to the heights it once was.

Powalinsky served as Vice-President of SHARE Inc., on the board of Riverbank Developments, and is a past chair of the PA and District Chamber of Commerce. He previously worked as the Executive Director of the Saskatchewan Association for Community Living.

Citing crime, homelessness, and high taxes as reasons for his bid, he said, “I think at the end of four years, my measurement would be a reduction in both crime and homelessness. I think homelessness and crime (are) a complex issue. However, I think if you can disrupt organized crime, if you can disrupt the supply line for big dealers, that will be one thing that will reduce crime.”

Incumbent Mayor Greg Dionne has also indicated he would like to serve another term, setting up a contested race in the third-largest Saskatchewan city. Mayor Dionne said he was called to run again to see projects through to completion, such as the Victoria Hospital Expansion, a new events centre, and the Yard District.

Dionne’s term as Mayor has not been without controversy. At his most recent State of the City address, he defended his decision to charge non-residents a $150 fee to use indoor facilities. Last winter the Mayor pushed picketing CUPE members with his truck.

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Sask. Party nominates candidate in Regina Mount Royal

The Saskatchewan Party has nominated another candidate ahead of this fall’s election.

Party members met at Holy Trinity Parish and nominated Jaspreet Mander last night as the candidate for Regina Mount Royal. Mander is a construction worker and truck driver. After immigrating to Canada in 2005, he has lived in Regina since 2011. He lives in White City with his family.

Mount Royal is a new riding created primarily from old Regina Rosemont. It also includes parts of Pasqua and Lumsden-Morse. The incumbent MLA for this area is the NDP’s Trent Wotherspoon. Wotherspoon is the longest-serving NDP MLA, first elected in 2007.

This is the Saskatchewan Party’s 52nd candidate out of 61. The party’s next nomination will be July 11 in Saskatoon Nutana.

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Federal Minister announces changes to Dental Care as provinces consider options

Federal Minister of Health Mark Holland is making changes to the federal dental program in a bid to win over dentists who were hesitant about the new federal plan.

As of yesterday, oral health-care providers can treat patients under the Canadian Dental Care Plan on a case-by-case basis without officially signing on to the program. "You can just try it out, submit a claim and see what you think," Health Minister Mark Holland told a press conference in Halifax on Monday.

Back in April, Saskatchewan dentists raised concerns over the federal program, with the College of Dental Surgeons of Saskatchewan saying, “While the CDCP is an important step towards enhancing access to care for eligible Canadians and the elimination of sign-up requirements is good news, our concerns and questions with the plan have not yet been fully addressed or answered.”

Last week Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said that the Government of Alberta will be opting out of the federal dental care program by 2026, saying, “This duplication raises the question of the value of maintaining two plans and whether health funding would be more wisely used to support a single plan.”

Saskatchewan Health Minister Everett Hindley said he is looking into Alberta’s decision and the federal deal saying, “We’re grateful for any partnership that we’re able to have with the federal government,” he said. “We want to ensure that whatever sort of agreement we sign doesn’t set us back, that it doesn’t disadvantage Saskatchewan patients, whether it’s on pharmacare or dental care. We’ve been working with our federal counterparts.”

In a report published last year, Saskatchewan had the highest rate of dental coverage in all of Canada.

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More news and info

• Saskatoon’s Shaw Centre to be renamed (SaskToday)

• Saskatoon’s Source for Sports founder Al Anderson dies at age 92 (CKOM News)

• Explosive devices found in rural mailboxes according to Saskatoon RCMP (CKOM News)

• School shooting jokes lead to gun seizure, guilty pleas for Lumsden man (CBC News)

• One name in hat for Joe Hargrave’s old job (PA Now)

2024 Election Candidate Tracker