SAC-Saskatchewan advocates for the recruitment and retention of speech-language pathologists (S-LPs) and audiologists in the province. Saskatchewan faces unique workforce challenges, including limited training programs, vacant public positions, and an aging workforce. SAC’s advocacy ensures that provincial recruitment and retention strategies include S-LPs and audiologists and supports clinicians who supervise students on clinical placements.
Latest Updates
Meeting with the Ministry of Advanced Education re: audiology needs and programming
On August 18, 2026, Jennifer Cameron-Turley, Provincial Advocacy Manager for Saskatchewan, met with Jill Tzupa, Executive Director of Strategy, Planning, and Sector Engagement at the Ministry of Advanced Education. We discussed ongoing challenges with recruitment and retention of audiologists in the province, and the efforts of SAC-SK to improve these.
We provided important demographic information from the College of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists of Saskatchewan (CSASK) 2025 Annual Report: Â
- As of December 31, 2025, there were a total of 46 audiologists provincially, with only nine reporting working in the public sector. Not all these members may be working full-time; this is their reported primary area of work. Â
- Historical registration patterns over the past decade show flat overall growth among audiologists in Saskatchewan.Â
- 43.5% of registered audiologists are over the age of 50. Â
- No (zero) audiologists are reporting working primarily in the following regions of the province: Far North, North West, North East, Central West, South Central, and South East. There is 1 audiologist working in the South West region, 2 in Central East, and 4 in North Central. Saskatoon (15) and Regina (14) have the remaining audiologists. Â
We highlighted SAC-Saskatchewan’s continued engagement with key partners to advance solutions to Saskatchewan’s audiology workforce shortage, including recent meetings with the Ministry of Health and the University of Saskatchewan. Discussions have explored both short-term workforce strategies and longer-term initiates such as the potential development of audiology program.
Addressing Saskatchewan’s audiology workforce needs will require ongoing collaboration across sectors. SAC-SK remains committed to advancing these discussions and will continue to update members on progress and next steps.
Meeting with SK Ministry of Health re: ongoing audiological recruitment, retention, and public support concerns
On June 23, 2026, Jennifer Cameron-Turley, Saskatchewan Advocacy Manager, met with Richard Moen, Director of Licensing and Continuing Care at the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health. Their discussion focused on audiology workforce challenges and access to hearing care services in Saskatchewan. Â
Key discussion points included:
- Workforce Shortages: Saskatchewan has the lowest number of audiologists per capita in Canada. This shortage is having a significant impact on access to care, particularly for children and older adults. While SAC has worked with Ministry of Health and Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) to support recruitment efforts, a major challenge remains the limited educational capacity in Western Canada, where UBC currently offers the only audiology program.
- Interprovincial agreements: The possibility of sponsoring audiology seats through inter-provincial agreements (IPA) with programs in other provinces was discussed. While this approach has not been explored to date, it may be difficult to implement given the small size and limited capacity of existing audiology programs.
- Prairie based audiology programs: Efforts to establish audiology programs in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba have been proposed over serval decades but have not come to fruition. SAC noted that as a national association, it is well positioned to facilitate collaboration among the Prairie provinces to explore potential solutions. Â
- In discussions with our colleagues, it appears pediatric audiology is the main critical shortage in AB, SK, and MB. We expect that the general aging population and their risk of increased hearing loss will also lead to increased needs.  Â
Mr. Moen thanked SAC for its advocacy and confirmed that recruiting audiologists remains a high priority for the Ministry. Â
He also expressed a willingness to continue working with us on addressing our recent Audiological and Hearing Aid Proposal to bring Saskatchewan more in line with other provinces in the provision of publicly funded hearing support. Â
In addition, Mr. Moen indicated that the Ministry is committed to strengthening Saskatchewan’s Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) program to ensure timely follow-up and access to appropriate support services.Â
SAC agreed to provide Mr. Moen with information on previous efforts to establish a Prairie audiology program, as well as contacts and resources related to EHDI programming, infrastructure, and workforce planning in other jurisdictions.Â
Notable Improvements in Recruitment SHA
On April 8, 2026, SAC-Saskatchewan Regional Advocacy Manager Jennifer Cameron-Turley met with an SAC member and a public-sector audiologist, who reported notable improvements in recruitment at the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA). One audiologist has been hired, with a strong lead on a second candidate interested in public sector work. This is a significant improvement from the long-standing 50% vacancy rate.
Additionally, SHA has established an audiology student placement in Saskatoon for the first time in many years and continues to present to audiology students across Canada and the United States on the benefits of living and working in Saskatchewan.
Provincial Shortage of Audiology Positions
On January 26, 2026, Jennifer Cameron-Turley, Saskatchewan Advocacy Manager, and Bonnie Cooke, SAC Director of Audiology and Interim Lead of Advocacy, met with representatives from the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA), Saskatchewan Health Recruitment (SHR), the Ministry of Health (MOH), and the Ministry of Advanced Education to address the growing shortage of public health audiologists in Saskatchewan. which is acting as a bottleneck to service provision and to the much-needed expansion of public health programs.
SHA shared several updates that align with SAC’s recommendations from our previous meeting in July 2025:
- The return-in-service agreement for audiologists at the SHA has increased from $5,000 to $15,000.
- An Interprovincial Agreement (IPA) is being investigated with several audiology programs in Canada, but no final agreements have been reached yet.
- Virtual classroom presentations have begun at Dalhousie and Western, with plans to expand outreach to additional schools.
- Student placement agreements are now in place with Dalhousie and Western, though placements have not yet commenced,
- Progress has been made on a student placement agreement with UBC, which has not yet been finalized.
- Outreach has been initiated with U.S. audiology programs regarding student placements in Saskatchewan.
Action items:
- SHA will provide recruitment resources to SAC for distribution to members and audiology students. SAC suggested highlighting the benefits of living and working in Saskatchewan, including affordability and family-oriented communities.
- MOH will gather data to assess current and future demand for audiologists in Saskatchewan and expressed appreciation for the workforce statistics SAC has provided.
- The group will share progress on previously identified initiatives so they can be communicated to members.
- All parties agreed to remain in contact regarding developments and future collaboration opportunities.
SAC will continue to advocate for sustainable workforce solutions and keep members informed of progress.
Provincial Shortage of Audiology Positions​ Update (2025)
On August 12, 2025, SAC-Saskatchewan clarified with UBC that the WCB issue preventing students from taking placements in Saskatchewan has been resolved. To address the insurance requirement, UBC partnered with Saskatchewan Polytechnic, allowing students to enroll in a micro-credential course aligned with their clinical externship.
If you are interested in hosting a student:
- Audiologists: Contact UBC Audiology Clinical Coordinator Sasha Brown at sasha.brown@audiospeech.ubc.ca
- S-LPs: Contact Marcia Choi at marciac@audiospeech.ubc.ca
Recent data highlights the urgency of this work:
Saskatchewan has the lowest number of audiologists per capita in Canada (3.7 per 100,000). Many public health positions remain vacant, and a significant portion of the workforce is near retirement, creating bottlenecks in patient care and public programs such as Early Hearing Detection and Intervention.
Recruitment and retention challenges in public sector audiology at the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA)​ (2025)
On November 28, 2025, SAC-Saskatchewan reached out via email to Halen Panchyk, audiologist at the Wascana Rehabilitation Centre in Regina, Deborah Moynes-Keshen, Executive Director of the Healthcare Human Resources Branch at the Ministry of Health and Shelle Lofstrom, Executive Director, Workforce Planning and Employment Strategies at the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA), to inquire if there has been any progress with recruitment and retention challenges with public sector audiologists since our last virtual meeting, and have not yet received a response
Colleagues at the SHA report that recruitment and retention challenges have grown since the summer, with two more audiologists recently vacating their positions to practice outside the province. There are currently 12 audiology positions in the SHA across all public sector services, both pediatric and adult. Six are currently vacant, with the oldest vacancy dating back to 2020.
SHA colleagues informed us that there is insufficient capacity to cover infants referred from the Newborn Hearing Screening Program, with only 60% of infants referred from the Regina/South area being seen, and approximately 25% in Saskatoon/North. SAC-Saskatchewan has requested a meeting with representatives from the SHA and the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health and is awaiting a response.
Student Placement Capacity (S-LPs)​ (2025)
In July 2025, SAC-Saskatchewan met with Mark Wyatt, Assistant Deputy Minister of Advanced Education, representatives from the University of Saskatchewan (U of S), Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA), Ministry of Health, and Ministry of Advanced Education to discuss supporting clinicians supervising students in advance of the new S-LP program at U of S (opening September 2026).
Key points from the meeting
- SHA secured funding for an S-LP Preceptor Coordinator to manage placement requests.
- SAC emphasized that clinicians carry heavy caseloads; management-level support is critical during early placements.
- Potential incentives for preceptors include daily clinical rate payments, continuing education, and professional development opportunities.
- Housing challenges for students in rural/remote areas were discussed; virtual placements are being considered.
- SAC raised the need for student housing supports to improve access in underserved regions (outside of urban centres).
- Ministries will explore school-based placement opportunities and private sector involvement to expand placement capacity.
Progress Timeline
Provincial Shortage of Audiology Positions
Student Placement Capacity (S-LPs)
Related Documents
External Links
Canadian Institute of Health Information (CIHI) – Health Workforce Data
- Last modified:
- 2026-10-13