Government Questioned About Northern Civil Service

Government Questioned About Northern Civil Service

Wednesday, June 18, 2003 at 21:22

The provincial government denies it is trying to move civil servants from the North to centres in southern Saskatchewan.

A La Ronge man who has worked 20 years in the civil service, Earl Cook, says he’s noticed several government employees or positions transferred to either Prince Albert or Regina the last few years. Cook feels that’s a loss for the North on several levels.

Government spokesman John Charlton says any positions that have been transferred down south were the result of re-organizations in several departments, and says there is no government strategy to move civil servants out of the North.

Statistics from the Public Service Commission indicate the number of public service workers in the North has fallen 7 per cent since 1999.