Province courts controversy with new SHA vice-president position

Raynelle Wilson has been characterized by the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour and the NDP opposition as a longtime political operative with no healthcare administration experience. A new position was created especially for Wilson.

Wilson is the SHA’s new Vice-President of Enterprise Initiatives Support, a position that did not previously exist. A memo distributed to SHA staff said the position was a temporary one, to last six months. The memo said that Wilson would be responsible for "provid(ing) executive leadership aimed at strengthening collaboration between the SHA, Ministry of Health, and other key partners in support of achieving and reporting on priority enterprise initiatives."

Wilson’s government career has consisted solely of political appointments. According to her LinkedIn page, she was the director of Enterprise Initiatives at the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority (SLGA) from Nov. 2015 to August 2017. It was in 2016 that the SLGA privatized 39 of its stores and allowed another 11 private stores to open.

Lori Johb, President of the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour (SFL), said in a news release, “The Sask. Party has been chipping away at the privatization of public health services for years. First with privatizing hospital laundry services and private MRIs – none of which have improved the quality of care or reduced wait times. Now, under the cover of a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic, the Sask. Party is intent on further gutting our public health system and handing it over to their corporate donor friends in the private sector.”

Johb took her criticism further by saying the appointment was, at best, cronyism. “Those working in executive positions should have expertise and demonstrated experience working in public health care administration,” she said.

The SFL wants Wilson’s appointment reversed, and the position of Vice-President of Enterprise Initiatives Support eliminated.

Sources in the SHA told the Regina Leader-Post that Wilson’s appointment was a factor in former CEO Scott Livingstone’s sudden late-November resignation and that the Sask. Party would use Wilson to exert more control over the SHA. The government has refused to say why Livingstone quit, other than that it was unexpected and had nothing to do with any concerns Livingstone had about how the organization was being run.

Livingstone has not responded to any requests for comment.

Vicki Mowat, the opposition’s health critic, said on Twitter that the appointment ignored current concerns about the healthcare system being overwhelmed. She questioned why priority enterprise initiatives were a focus in the middle of a pandemic. Mowat also said that the SHA is an apolitical organization, while Wilson’s background is purely political.

The Opposition NDP wants the Provincial Auditor to investigate the appointment. The NDP has also used the word cronyism and stated that appointments for friends and family should have no place in Saskatchewan.

Health Minister Paul Merriman struck back by calling the criticism “conspiracy theories.” He also said that Wilson’s position has nothing to do with influencing the SHA – it is merely, he said, the appointment of the right person at the right time for the right position.