Sask. struggles to recruit, retain techs as demand for mammograms grows
Nine full-time MRT positions created in regional and rural areas since 2024; four still vacant
Saskatchewan continues to struggle to fill medical radiation technologist (MRT) positions in rural and urban areas.
Advocates say hiring more MRTs is essential to decreasing the wait times for women who want and need mammogram screening.
The supply issue in the province is especially under a microscope as the Ministry of Health continues its phased approach to drop the age qualification for mammogram booking without a doctor's referral from 50 to 40. At this time, women who are 43 and older qualify. The qualification age is expected to reach age 40 by June.
According to the Ministry of Health, nine full-time MRT positions outside Saskatoon and Regina have been created since January 2024:
- Two MRTs in Moose Jaw
- Two MRTs in Weyburn
- One MRT and one MRT specialist in North Battleford
- One MRT in Prince Albert
- One MRT in Lloydminster
- One MRT in Yorkton
The ministry said four of these positions are vacant with recruiting efforts underway. It's searching for potential candidates for North Battleford, Moose Jaw and Weyburn.
The province has incentive packages, including the Rural and Remote Recruitment Incentive, valued up to $50,000 for people in one of the listed classifications and locations.
In an exclusive interview with CBC Saskatchewan, Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill said the incentives have been “incredibly important” for filling positions in regional centres, where rural residents can drive in for mammogram screening.
“The more patients that we can keep in regional centres without needing to come to Regina, Saskatoon, obviously there's the travel and inconvenience piece too, but having care as close to home as possible is so important for people," Cockrill said.
Meanwhile, there are seven vacant part-time MRT positions in Regina, Saskatoon and the mobile mammogram unit.
High tuition rate
Dr. Dennis Kendel, a retired physician and health policy consultant in Saskatoon, said high tuition for the MRT program at Sask. Polytechnic is part of the problem.
"It's reasonably costly, you know, to get the credential and get into the market. And so I guess it depends on how well we're compensating our MRTs," Kendel said, adding that the role is not limited to giving mammogram screenings.
CBC compared tuition costs for MRT training programs from four colleges in western Canada: BCIT, RRC Polytech, SAIT and Sask. Polytech.
Saskatchewan leads the pack with $33,660 for the whole MRT degree. The tuition for Manitoba's RRC Polyech program is less than half that cost. These tuition numbers do not include fees.
According to the Ministry of Health, 27 students graduated from the Sask. Polytech MRT program in 2025. Forty graduated in 2026 and 50 are set to graduate in 2027.
There are now 90 seats in the Sask. Polytech MRT program. All but one are filled.
CUPE highlights low wages, need for more incentives
Bashir Jalloh, president of the the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 5430, said the progress the ministry has made in filling MRT positions since January 2024 is not acceptable.
“It is terrible … because instead of them trying to do something to recruit for those positions, they are opting to try to contract it out to contract workers. And if you are able to find contract workers to do those jobs, why not hire them? So that is our problem,” Jalloh said.
He said the ministry should once again urge Sask. Polytech to open more seats for MRT training.
“The reason why people are not being hired or people are not going to stay in those rural communities is because it's difficult for people to go to rural communities.”
Jalloh said one of the biggest problems is the low entrance wage for MRTs in Saskatchewan. That's why many MRTs leave Saskatchewan to work in other provinces like Manitoba, he said.
The CUPE local president has been an MRT, specializing as a nuclear medicine technologist, for two decades.
“An MRT who is entering today in Manitoba, their starting wage is higher than what my maximum is when I've been working [in Saskatchewan] for 20 years,” he said.
“Most of these students are finished [school] with a high, high number of student loan debt. So therefore they are not going to go to those rural communities because when you go to the rural communities you are only doing one job.”
Jalloh said those who stay in Regina and Saskatoon can supplement their incomes, and therefore pay off student debt faster, by working at private imaging clinics.
Moreover, he said the rural working conditions can be poorer because they only have one place to work and have to pick up extra hours to make more money.
Jalloh said CUPE approached the last minister of health, Everett Hindley, and strongly recommended recruiting students in high schools and paying their tuition through a Return to Service (ROS) agreement.
An ROS requires a student to practise in a specific area once they have completed their residency training. Jalloh said another incentive would be to give MRTs a stipend for one year as they do their practicums. That encourages people to commit to staying, he said.
“It fell on deaf ears. And we told the SHA the same thing. Working conditions are bad. The retention is bad. How do they intend to retain people in this province? I don't know.”
Regina biopsy wait lists are down
According to the Ministry of Health, the wait list in Regina for breast biopsies had over 300 patients in 2025. As of Jan. 2, 2026, 51 patients were on that list.
“Regina has been a challenging place just staffing-wise over the last couple of years. That's gotten a lot better and we've been able to bring wait times down, you know, specifically for biopsies," Cockrill told CBC.
“It's massively important right now to make sure that we have that biopsy option close to home."
Cockrill said fewer women are traveling to Clearpoint/Beam Radiology in Calgary to get breast biopsies. The province signed its first contract with the clinic in 2024, which is set to expire March 31.
In 2024-25, 351 patients received their biopsies in Calgary, compared to 176 over the first three quarters in 2025-26.
Kendel said he’s pleased to see the number of women needing to go to Calgary for biopsies drop.
“I'd like to see it even reduced more," he said, adding that women shouldn't fece impediments to access breast health services, especially because early detection is vital.
"I really do think we need to have sufficient capacity in our own province, that you can get it in a very timely manner."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
