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1h ago

Nurses Union Challenges 'Seasonal' Claim as RUH Hallway Care Draws Scrutiny

SHA blames respiratory viruses, pointing to 109 Saskatoon City Hospital beds planned over the next year.

Part of a huge crowd at a rally in support of public education for World Teachers’ Day at McDougall Centre in Calgary on Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025.
Runners ready for the start at the annual Canadian Cancer Society CIBC Run for the Cure at Southcentre Mall in Calgary on Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025.
Bright red shirts at a rally in support of public education for World Teachers’ Day at McDougall Centre in Calgary on Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025.
Dancers Honey Bull, left, Isabella Corderre and Vanessa Hunter wait in the rain at the Sisters in Spirit vigil, which honours missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls and shows support for their loved ones, in Calgary on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025.

Overview

  • Union president Bryce Boynton said overcrowding at Saskatoon’s Royal University Hospital is not a seasonal spike but a longstanding problem.
  • The health authority stood by its explanation that respiratory illnesses are driving pressure and said 109 acute beds will be added at Saskatoon City Hospital over the next year to ease RUH.
  • The nurses’ union published frontline emails saying hallway care at RUH has become routine, with areas informally dubbed “E pod” and “F pod.”
  • Union officials alleged some beds promoted as new are existing overcapacity spaces rebranded as transitional, citing about 40 such beds.
  • SHA highlighted improvements in ER admission waits versus 2023 and 2024 even as current volumes remain high, and the Opposition NDP urged Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill to visit the hospital.