Sask. government to offer family medicine residency seat in Yorkton

The provincial government will establish a new family physician residency seat in Yorkton next year.

The Government of Saskatchewan says an expansion of the province’s physician training program will include the city of Yorkton.

While standing in front of the Yorkton Regional Health Centre on Monday, Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill announced a new family medicine residency position in the community.

“The [University of Saskatchewan’s] Department of Academic Family Medicine will be implementing new family medicine residency training seats for the 2026 [Canadian Resident Matching Service] year,” Cockrill said in his announcement.

“Including one new residency here in the city of Yorkton.”

Cockrill said announcement is a continuation of the expansion of the residency training offered across the southeast Saskatchewan – following the successful residency training placements in Moosomin, Humboldt, and Weyburn in 2022.

“This new expansion targets growth at existing rural residency locations and aligns with our provincial health system priorities to address critical rural physician shortages,” he explained, adding that the government will also announce new residency seats in other communities later this week.

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Yorkton Mayor Aaron Kienle welcomed the announcement.

“The residency program, I feel, is an opportunity and a positive step forward for health care in our community,” Kienle said in his speech, adding that he believes the decision is more than just an investment in training.

“It’s an investment in people and families and in the long-term health of our region.”

Kienle said he is aware the community is experiencing a shortage of family physicians.

“Since I’ve lived here, there’s always been a need,” he said. “People who are looking for a family doctor and maybe having to find it elsewhere or whatever the case may be.”

The mayor says he is confident that during their residency, family doctors will have a chance to see the advantages Yorkton has over other communities – which include ample amenities, short commute times, and the city’s strong community initiatives.

Minister Cockrill was asked whether the province plans to offer incentives in order to retain the physicians completing their residencies in communities like Yorkton.

He argued that the compensation for physicians in Saskatchewan is among some of the best across Canada.

“We might not have the ocean, but I’ll tell you, you have an opportunity as a physician in this province to become an integral, essential part of whatever community you choose to practice in, Cockrill said.

“Whether it’s in Yorkton, whether it’s in a smaller community like Kamsack or Canora.”

General practitioner salaries in Saskatchewan are not currently available on the Government of Canada’s Job Bank database.