PREMIER ROMANOW APPOINTS NEW DEPUTY MINISTER TO HELP TACKLE NEXT STEPS FOR HEALTH CARE

As the next step in building and renewing health care, Premier Roy

Romanow today appointed Glenda Yeates as Deputy Minister of Health.



"Ms. Yeates is a highly skilled public servant with a great deal of

experience," Romanow said. "She is Saskatchewan's first female Deputy

Minister of Health. I know she will serve the people of Saskatchewan

well. I am asking her to take on a critically important job.



"Ms. Yeates will take charge of our government's largest department

and most important service and assist Minister Atkinson and Associate

Minister Junor in moving forward with an ambitious agenda.



"First, we will complete negotiations with our health providers and

secure final, ratified collective agreements with all our health

unions.



"Second, we will implement the important improvements in health care

provided for in this year's budget including reductions in waiting

times; addressing workplace issues; and improving services.



"Third, over the summer our government will be thinking about the next

steps in health care. We'll be thinking about the lessons learned

from events this winter and where we go from here, building on the

important investments in this year's budget," Romanow said.



Ms. Yeates is currently Deputy Minister of Social Services. She

previously served for seven years as Associate Deputy Minister of

Health. She served in Saskatchewan's Finance and Health

Departments since joining the public service in 1981.



Con Hnatiuk, outgoing Deputy Minister of Health, is moving on to

an important opportunity in the private sector.



Premier Romanow also announced he is appointing Dan Perrins as

Deputy Minister of Social Services. Mr. Perrins previously

served as Deputy Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Skills

Training for five years.



Mr. Perrins has served in the Saskatchewan public service since

1971.



"We are currently engaged in a fundamental reform of our

province's welfare system," Romanow said. "We are making good

progress the number of people on welfare has already been

reduced by over 20 per cent. Saskatchewan is achieving these

results compassionately and in keeping with the generous values

of our province by helping vulnerable families stand on their

own feet. I am relying on Mr. Perrins to work closely with

Minister Van Mulligen to continue this important work."



Premier Romanow is appointing Neil Yeates as Deputy Minister of

Post-Secondary Education and Skills Training. Mr. Yeates

currently serves as Associate Deputy of Finance. He has served

in the Saskatchewan public service since 1981.



"Mr. Yeates will work with Minister Sonntag on our key priorities

in post-secondary education expanding accessibility, improving

quality, and making sure our post-secondary education and

workforce training are doing the job our province requires

helping give our young people a better future right here in

Saskatchewan."



All three appointments are effective July 1st.



"I want to pay special tribute to Con Hnatiuk for his important

contributions as Deputy in our Social Services and Health

departments," Romanow said.



"In Social Services he was instrumental in designing and

beginning to implement some of the most important reforms in

thirty years including the National Child Benefit and

Saskatchewan's Building Independence welfare reform and Action

Plan for Children. Thousands of families and tens of thousands

of children will be the better for his work, in Saskatchewan and

across Canada.



"As Deputy Minister of Health he helped manage a difficult crisis

this spring. He also helped craft this year's health budget

package, which represents the most important reinvestment in

health care this decade.



"I am grateful to Mr. Hnatiuk for his service to our province,

and I wish him all the best in his new position."



The details of Mr. Hnatiuk's new appointment will be announced by

the organization he is joining, in the near future.



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For more information, contact:



Anna Arneson

Media Services

Regina

Phone: (306) 787-0850