Is there a doctor in the house? If not, perhaps there will be soon considering the Government of Saskatchewan is expanding its Rural and Remote Recruitment Inventive (RRRI) program to include 12 additional communities, further strengthening efforts to recruit and retain healthcare professionals in areas facing ongoing staffing pressures. Among these 12 communities is the Village of Loon Lake, along with Canwood, Cudworth, Eston, Hafford, Langenburg, Leask, Norquay, Sandy Bay, Stoughton, Strasbourg and Whitewood. All 12 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 healthcare workforce is essential to putting patients first and ensuring the right care is available, in the right place and at the right time,” provincial health minister Jeremy Cockrill said. “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.” According to Loon Lake mayor Brian Hirschfeld, an initiative such as this is long overdue in his community. “Getting a doctor back to Loon Lake has been a top priority for the current council,” Hirschfeld told Northern Pride. “We have always had a doctor in our community, and we want to see that continue. Having a full-time doctor back in Loon Lake would put a lot of people’s minds at ease, especially our elderly residents who may not be able to drive to other communities for medical care.” 

Hirschfeld also said the additional funding is a big boost for Loon Lake because the community already has a house available for a doctor, as well as existing office space. “Over the past month, we have also had conversations with several people from the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) and their recruitment team, so it is encouraging to see some attention and action being directed toward our community,” he said. “Our hope is to partner with the RM of Loon Lake and Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nations to strengthen our recruitment efforts and improve our chances of bringing a doctor back to Loon Lake. The push is still on, and we are hopeful this initiative will help make that happen.” 

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 and 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 took effect Sept. 1. Information on health care career opportunities, available recruitment and retention initiatives and Saskatchewan’s Health Human Resources (HHR) Action Plan is available at saskatchewan.ca/HHR.