'It is important for people to feel they can safely raise concerns at work or refuse to participate in something they think may be wrong'
Saskatchewan introduced The Publicly-funded Health Entity Public Interest Disclosure Act which will allow whistleblowers to report concerning situations without fear of reprisals.
“We support high standards of professional values and ethics in our workplaces, and want the public to have confidence in our health system organizations,” said Paul Merriman, minister of health. “It is important for people to feel they can safely raise concerns at work or refuse to participate in something they think may be wrong.”
The new legislation establishes protections for employees of publicly-funded health entities when they disclose a wrongdoing. It will apply to employees of the Saskatchewan Health Authority and the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency. This also provides the ability to add other health care organizations through regulation.
“Wrongdoings that can be reported include situations that contravene federal or provincial acts or regulations, gross mismanagement of public funds, or circumstances that create danger to life, health, safety or the environment,” according to the government.
Employees who report a concern or potential wrongdoing in good faith and experience consequences or reprisals may also contact the Public Interest Disclosure Commissioner here.
In November, Manitoba offered dedicated COVID-19 testing appointments for first responders and health-care workers, along with a new dedicated testing site in partnership with the City of Winnipeg.
