ALS Saskatchewan is calling on the provincial government for what they say is a nominal amount of funding and is disappointed in the province’s decision to deny their most recent request. “We’ve asked for $150,000 and honestly we asked for that number because it’s such a nominal number that we though nobody could say no,” said ALS Saskatchewan Executive Director Denis Simard. “The truth is that between everything that we do, we could be looking at about a half million dollars of services that we provide but we’re not expecting our donors to stop giving. They’re still providing us with $150,000 to $200,000 dollars a year, that’s what has kept us alive.” Simard said that ALS Saskatchewan needs the money to offset the cost for staff who perform mental health services across the province. According to Terry Loustel, a Buena Vista resident who was diagnosed with ALS in 2022, every day is a challenge. “It’s devastating, that’s the first word that comes to mind. It just completely takes over your body and day-by-day, you just get to do less and less,” he said. Saskatchewan Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill said that denying some funding requests from groups like ALS Saskatchewan is one of the tough parts of government work. “We entertain proposals like this from … it might be even hundreds of organizations all over the province. And so, the challenge is that we don’t fund everything that we’re asked for,” he said. ALS Saskatchewan is currently completely donor-funded, including the ongoing campaigns like the ice bucket challenge. Recipients like Loustel are grateful for their generosity. He said without donors, he wouldn’t have been able to purchase a wheelchair accessible van and bedroom lift. However, he wishes the organization had support from the province too. Loustel got emotional when talking about his biggest supporter. “I’m just thankful that my wife, wherever the heck she’s standing, she was a nurse for… for… Sorry, sorry.” Loustel got choked up and couldn’t finish the thought. Simard shared with CTV News that ALS Saskatchewan, along with Loustel, will be meeting with Minister Cockrill later this month to discuss the organization’s funding request.
