Saskatchewan’s government is expanding its Rural and Remote Recruitment Incentive (RRRI) program to include 16 additional communities, bringing the total number of eligible locations to 70 across the province.
The RRRI offers up to $50,000 over three years to new, full time health professionals who agree to work in rural and remote communities where staffing shortages threaten service delivery. The funding is available to nine high-priority health occupations, including nurses, continuing care assistants, and medical technicians.
“This incentive program has proven to be a great success in attracting highly sought after healthcare workers where they are most needed in our rural communities,” said Rural and Remote Health Minister Lori Carr. “We continue to deliver on growing our healthcare workforce to provide improved access and quality of care to patients across the province.”
Since its launch, the program has helped fill more than 420 hard-to-recruit health positions, supporting efforts to stabilize healthcare in underserved areas.
The 16 newly added communities are Arborfield, Balcarres, Beechy, Candle Lake, Carrot River, Central Butte, Cut Knife, Elrose, Foam Lake, Grenfell, Kerrobert, Maryfield, Pinehouse Lake, Raymore, Spiritwood, and Wakaw.
Brenda Schwan, Vice President of Integrated Rural Health with the Saskatchewan Health Authority, said the move is part of a broader strategy to ensure rural residents receive timely care close to home.
“This incentive will help us ensure that residents continue to get the care they need closer to home,” Schwan said.
The province has allocated $8.7 million to the RRRI program for 2025-26. That includes $1.8 million for a new intake round, allowing up to 180 additional health workers to join, and $6.9 million to support existing recipients completing their second and third years of service.
The RRRI is a key element of Saskatchewan’s Health Human Resources Action Plan, which is now in its third year. The plan focuses on recruiting, training, incentivizing, and retaining health professionals across the province.
In total, $13 million has been earmarked in the 2025-26 health budget for incentive programs, including RRRI, the Rural Physician Incentive Program, and new specialist incentives.
