Carter appointed board chair

‘Challenging times with opportunity’

Dick Carter is looking forward to his new gig as chair of the Regina Qu’Appelle Regional Health Authority board.

“It’s a fairly big operation, so it’s going to take me a little while ... to get up to speed,” said Carter, who worked as an accountant for more than 30 years and served four years as CEO of Crown Investments Corporation.

The Regina Qu’Appelle Regional Health Authority board advises the Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region on its spending.

The region identified it would have to cut $38 million this fiscal year to balance its budget, which was released last week.

Carter recognizes these are “challenging times with opportunity,” but could not speak specifically to the financial plan.

“It’s a big business. It’s almost a billion-dollar budget and it’s very important to the residents of Regina Qu’Appelle and all of Saskatchewan, so I’m pretty excited about being part of a team that is working in this area,” said Carter, who previously served on the boards of Saskatoon’s Sherbrooke Community Centre and Edmonton’s Caritas Foundation, which oversees several hospitals.

“Certainly I’ve got lots to learn,” when it comes to the health side of things, said Carter.

“When I was with KPMG, I had clients in many, many industries, but a lot of times the basic questions are the same: how are we adjusting to the changing environment and what challenges are being posed and how are we addressing those?”

The main themes he sees going forward for the Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region include putting patients first, while continuously improving the health-care system and ensuring its sustainability.

Health Minister Dustin Duncan congratulated Carter in a news release, calling him a “tremendous asset” to assist in transforming health care in Saskatchewan.

Carter replaces Brian Barber, who served as interim chair after 14-year board chair Lloyd Boutilier resigned in February.