The desire for a personalized birth experience is leading more and more women to seek out midwives during their pregnancy. However, there’s proven to be a plethora of issues for those wanting to choose a midwife and for those wanting to join the profession. It’s a situation Debbie Vey has been witness to during her long career. “Lack of midwifes, limited support,” she told CTV News. But to fully understand the challenges this profession faces in Saskatchewan, one must first learn the origin of these practitioners who can play a vital role in delivering the miracle of life. What is a midwife? The term ‘midwife’ originates from Middle English and means ‘with woman.’ Midwives are primary care providers who work with a woman throughout her childbirth. They monitor women and provide care during normal pregnancy, labour and the postpartum period. Midwives can also conduct the vaginal delivery of a baby, as well as prescribe and administer medication and order diagnostic tests — including ultrasounds, among other duties. There are, however, several misconceptions about what midwives do. While some may think of a midwife as someone who only performs water births or home births, midwives also work alongside doctors to support a woman’s personal birth plan. That can include giving birth in a hospital or being given an epidural, as midwives also work closely with hospitals. They are there every step of the way in a woman’s birth journey, up until six weeks postnatal. Saskatchewan legislation Midwifery became a regulated health service in Saskatchewan in 2008, making Saskatchewan the seventh province or territory to pass legislation enabling it. At that time, the provincial government also approved a bylaw that would enable midwives to provide postpartum care. Regina Qu’Appelle and Saskatoon were the first health regions to offer midwifery services, with it eventually expanding throughout the province as more midwives became licensed. Debbie Vey has worked as a midwife at All Nations Healing Hospital in Fort Qu’Appelle since midwifery became legislated in Saskatchewan. Prior to that, she worked as a midwife in the United Kingdom for many years. “Midwives don’t grow on trees. You can’t just pick up a midwife somewhere, but I feel if we had more funded positions, who knows, that might encourage people,” Vey explained. “It is very much a career from the heart. There are lots of challenges in regard to being on call all the time, your case load and that sort of thing, but it’s very rewarding.” Vey said she was the second ever registered midwife in Saskatchewan. During her career she’s certainly seen the landscape change for the better. However, she did admit roadblocks still exist. “There [were] just limited numbers to start off with,” Vey noted. “All those positions have been filled. You have people come and go, so midwifery has grown in that respect, but it hasn’t grown further. “We’ve kind of been at a standstill for 10 years now, it seems, just because that hasn’t had the ability to grow and expand further,” she added. What barriers exist? Those in Saskatchewan face long waitlists in their journey to finding a midwife. Only four communities across Saskatchewan feature provincially funded midwives. They include Saskatoon, Regina, Swift Current and Fort Qu’Appelle. Karen Schmid, president of the Health Sciences Association of Canada, told CTV News there are large swaths of the province unable to even request midwife services. “There’s 13 communities that don’t have access to midwives,” Schmid explained. “We’re not talking small communities, we’re talking communities like Lloydminster, Prince Albert, North Battleford, Humboldt … that don’t even have the opportunities to reach out and access the care of a midwife.” Simply put, Schmid says there needs to be more midwife positions available. “I think that everyone in the province deserves the right to have a say in how they want to be treated, in how they want to have their pregnancy play out,” she added. “In an ideal situation, everyone who wants the access, the care of a midwife, should have the ability to access the care of a midwife and stay at home in their community and not have to choose between having their family and resources and having a safe delivery.” There is also difficulty in receiving the necessary education to become a midwife, as there are no schooling options in Saskatchewan. “We did, way back, try and start one, but it’s just a bit like the chicken and the egg,” Vey noted. “If there is not the volume of midwives or people interested in doing midwifery, why are we funding midwifery education? Vey added that many midwives operating in Saskatchewan are internationally trained. The closest schooling options for those pursuing midwifery are in Alberta and Manitoba. Those who complete the program have no guarantee of a job in Saskatchewan, as there’s only one vacant position currently. Positions in Saskatchewan As of Sept. 2, 2026, there are 20 midwife positions in Saskatchewan,18 of which are provincially funded, while the remaining two federally funded. According to Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Health, 18 of the province’s midwife positions are filled consisting of the two federally funded positions and 16 of the provincial spots. The ministry said one person is completing the licensing process and is expected to begin practicing as a fully licensed midwife before the end of the year. Recruitment efforts continue for the one vacant position, according to the province. Working closely with the Saskatchewan Health Authority, the ministry says it continues to monitor “health human resource needs, service utilization and access to care across the province.” “Decisions regarding future health workforce investments, including midwifery positions, are considered through ongoing health system planning, budget and service prioritization processes,” the ministry’s statement read. “Under Saskatchewan’s Midwifery Act, registered midwives are able to set up private practices.” In Saskatchewan, midwives can establish private practices. However, none currently exist in the province. In comparison All midwives who want to work in the province must be licensed through the Saskatchewan College of Midwives. Cheryl Deschene, the executive registrar at the college, says Saskatchewan’s model for midwives differ from its neighbouring provinces. “Currently, the funding model for midwifery in Saskatchewan is the employment model. For instance, in Alberta and B.C. and Ontario, they are independent practitioners. They set up a midwifery clinic, and they are funded through the government … just like if you went to the doctor,” Deschene explained. In Saskatchewan, a midwife receives a salary and can take on as many clients as their practice can manage. “In B.C. and Ontario, there is a significantly larger number of midwives … but the need and desire to access midwifery is just as great here as it is anywhere else, so it is problematic,” Deschene added. While the college is not responsible for determining the number of midwife positions in the province – it does work to outline proactive measures to increase access to care. According to data from the Canadian Association of Midwives, there were 179 provincial midwife positions filled in Alberta, 80 in Manitoba and only 18 in Saskatchewan in 2023. In that year, there were 8,521 midwife-led births in Alberta, 781 in Manitoba and 482 in Saskatchewan. In Canada, there were 2,153 midwives registered in 2023, with 45,391 midwife-led births that year. The association says new data maps will be available in early 2027. ‘Advocate for women’ For those lucky enough to have had their births assisted by a midwife, the experience has been nothing short of memorable. Olivia Saulteaux gave birth to her child in January of 2026. She said her midwife team provided a judgement-free environment when she decided to change her original plan. “I wanted to have a home water birth … but by the time I got to eight centimetres dilated, I said I want the epidural,” she recalled. “They still respected my choice. Having a midwife with you during your labour and birth experience, they also advocate for you. When you’re going through all of your contractions and you’re in pain, they help the doctors and the nurses at the hospital remind them on what your wishes are. They advocate for women.” Saulteaux said she’s glad she was able to give birth with a midwife by her side, acknowledging that some women don’t have that opportunity. “I know that there’s so many women that aren’t having the best experiences,” she said. “I think just women in general in Saskatchewan are not being advocated the way that they want to be in such a vulnerable time.” “Midwives are doing that work and educating the community with all of the knowledge that they have, and we need more of that,” she added. Denise Massey lives in a small town in southwestern Saskatchewan and travelled to Saskatoon to give birth to her three children, now aged seven, four and nearly two. Before she had children, Massey lived in Alberta. She became a certified doula and learned a lot about midwives at a birthing centre. Once in Saskatchewan, she said she didn’t know what her options were for a midwife. “I found out I was pregnant, and I was with an OB[-GYN] at that point and I applied late,” she shared. “I was on a waiting list until about 25 weeks and that’s when I was able to get with the midwife in Saskatoon.” Massey said what drew her to midwives was the personalized experience. “We were with an OB with my son, and it’s just not very personal … We walked into an appointment, they didn’t even say hi to my husband or really care that he was there,” she explained. “The midwife is like having your very own specialist with you at all times and you can always call them with any questions, and they really care about your birth, and you have a really personal relationship.” Both Massey and Saulteaux say they think it’s important for women to have that choice and say Saskatchewan could use more midwives. “It’s just good to know that there are options,” Massey said. “When it comes to birth, there’s a lot of people that kind of go in and they just wing it, but it’s such an intense experience that the more you understand what’s going on in your body, it’s not scary.” “I think people overlook that the way you feel during your pregnancy and what happens during your birth is actually so important, because it will directly affect your postpartum,” Saulteaux agreed. “We need more because there’s so many things that change in a woman’s body during pregnancy, but prenatal and postnatal— having someone to guide you and basically hold your hand … my midwives [are] honestly the greatest.” The call continues In May of 2026, the Health Sciences Association of Saskatchewan launched a campaign to call for more midwives in the province. Schmid said the campaign is ongoing and hopes to continue to draw awareness to the province’s midwife deficit. “Even when you find out today that you’re pregnant and reach out to get a midwife, you’re highly likely to be turned away because the need is so high in comparison to the number of professionals that can provide the care,” she said. “So, it is super disappointing to hear that most people in the province, even if they find out super early, they’re still turned away. That is how high the need truly is.”
