SAC will work with government and corporate decisionmakers to demonstrate how speech-language pathology and audiology services and professionals help the people of Saskatchewan engage, learn, be active in their communities, and age safely and with dignity by allowing professionals to operate to their full scope of practice.
The 2024 National Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) Report Card from the Canadian Infant Hearing Task Force (CIHTF) revealed that despite some improvements, Saskatchewan once again received an overall grade of “Insufficient” when it comes to providing comprehensive infant hearing health services. In response, many of SAC’s recent provincial advocacy initiatives have been focused on increasing audiological recruitment, retention, and support of public funding for provincial hearing health initiatives.
To specifically raise awareness for EDHI, Jennifer Cameron-Turley, Saskatchewan Provincial Advocacy Manager, Halen Panchyk, audiologist and Coordinator of the Newborn Infant Hearing Screening Program, and Dr. Hema Patel, Professor of Pediatrics at McGill University, met on July 14, 2026, to discuss the situation, bring in provincial experts in neurotology, pediatrics, and patient/family partners, and form a coalition regarding raising government and public awareness.
Dr. Patel has connected SAC with Dr. Terry Klassen, Provincial Department Head & Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Saskatchewan. Dr. Klassen has very kindly invited us to present at Pediatric Grand Rounds on November 26, 2026, at Royal University Hospital to raise awareness of our EDHI awareness initiative.
We will keep you updated on our future meetings and upcoming advocacy initiatives related to the coalition.
Saskatchewan currently has limited coverage for hearing healthcare services and technology across the lifespan and is behind other provinces in terms of equity and access. This needs to change.
As part of SAC-Saskatchewan’s Provincial Advocacy Plan, the Saskatchewan Regional Advisory Committee’s effort to improve audiological assessment and hearing aid supports began in early 2025.
Our Saskatchewan Audiological Assessment and Hearing Aid Proposal urges the Government of Saskatchewan, through the Ministry of Health, to provide funding coverage for hearing assessments and treatment (e.g., hearing aids) administered by audiologists for children aged 0-18 years and for seniors aged 65 and older.
We have already received many letters of support for our proposal from speech-language pathologists and audiologists, community associations, and organizations, which were sent with the proposal. If you would like to support grassroots advocacy on this issue, please download one of our letters of support, which you can print and send directly to the Health Minister.
Thank you to Jodi Haberstock, audiologist and member of our Saskatchewan Advisory Committee, and Bonnie Cooke, SAC’s Director of Audiology and Advocacy, who were instrumental in the creation of the proposal.
SAC-Saskatchewan, in partnership with the College of Speech-Language Pathologists & Audiologists Saskatchewan (CSASK) and the Canadian Association of Audiology (CAA), has been advocating for a direct referral pathway to ENT specialists to improve timely access to care. In mid-2024, a dedicated working group of S-LPs and audiologists from across the province developed a comprehensive business case demonstrating the benefits of allowing S-LPs and audiologists to refer patients directly to ENT.
Following this work, a joint request was submitted to the Saskatchewan Medical Association (SMA). The request has passed through several SMA committees and received broad support. The SMA has indicated that multiple allied health requests, including ours, will be submitted together to the Ministry of Health for review. SAC has also reached out to other allied health associations to explore potential collaborations that could strengthen this initiative.
While awaiting the Ministry’s response, SAC continues to collect data on current ENT referral practices to support and refine the business case. These efforts reflect our ongoing commitment to creating a more efficient, patient-centered referral process that recognizes the expertise of S-LPs and audiologists and reduces unnecessary delays in care.
On September 19, 2025, we wrote a letter to the Saskatchewan Accessibility Office in regards to the 2024-2027 Government of Saskatchewan Accessibility Plan, which did not make an explicit reference to supporting those with communication challenges. SAC offered to meet and share resources and expertise regarding communication accessibility. Mark Wells, Senior Policy Analyst for the Accessibility office at the Ministry of Social Services, thanked us for our letter and reported that the information provided in our letter will be referenced during the development of future Accessibility Plans. Mr. Wells mentioned that feedback from our membership regarding the future development of accessibility regulations was welcome.
To give feedback, ensure you are signed up for an account on Accessible SK.
