Head Tale

Brought up on the family farm in a small town south of Moose Jaw before going to high school in the mid-sized city of Moose Jaw then moving on to our largest city of Saskatoon for his undergrad and medical training, Ryan has experienced a variety of the ways that people live in this province. 

He has worked to expand that knowledge by choosing to live in Saskatoon's inner-city and also for extended periods in Saskatchewan's north where he felt his medical training would be put to its best use (with the side benefit that he has direct experience in dealing with people living in these communities rather than seeing them as a philosophical abstraction like so many people – those sympathetic and not – do.) 

Unlike many Saskatchewan-born and trained doctors, Ryan didn't choose to leave for the greener pastures of Calgary, Vancouver or the United States.  Instead, he went the opposite direction, choosing to work as a rural relief locum giving doctors in small communities around the province badly needed time off.  I think he had an ulterior motive with this choice – he's sincerely interested in the people of rural Saskatchewan and how he can help them and this was the way to do it. 

The final demonstration of his commitment to Saskatchewan for me is contained in his policies.  Something that's not even on the other candidate's radars – our vital arts & culture sector – becomes a policy that Ryan utilizes to discuss not only this sector in general but to connect with the strengths and challenges of rural Saskatchewan.   His anti-nuclear stance reflects a deep understanding of the costs – financial and otherwise – that this ill-guided path would hold for our province.  His take on the future of agriculture is the most innovative of any of the candidates (and as a slight tangent, Ryan is the candidate best positioned to prevent a bleed of young progressive NDP members to the Green party should Dwain Lingenfelter win the leadership.)

I will discuss his most exciting policy proposal and its implications for our province with my next post.

#2 – Ryan Dreams Big