SaskatchewanThe Saskatchewan Health Authority says it agrees with the province’s decision to scrap faulty scheduling software and revert to an old system. The AIMS project is now expected to cost $272 million.Cost of new software project triples from original budget to $272MJeremy Warren · CBC News · Posted: Oct 30, 2025 3:28 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 5 minutesMark Anderson, 3sHealth CEO, says that following the scrapping of the AIMS scheduling software, he expects the transition back to old software systems to finish by Nov. 30. (Édith Boisvert/CBC)The head of the Saskatchewan Health Authority says he agrees with the provincial government’s decision to scrap faulty scheduling software and revert to an old system.“Taking a step back on scheduling and finding a solution that works for our teams across the province is the right thing to do,” Andrew Will, the SHA’s CEO, said on Thursday.Will apologized to employees for the rocky rollout of the Administrative Information Management System (AIMS) scheduling software. On Wednesday, the province directed the SHA to halt implementation of the new scheduling software and revert to the old system it was meant to replace.“We recognize that the system has not supported employees in the way intended. We are committed to supporting staff as they return to more reliable and familiar systems.”The SHA is using AIMS scheduling software in what were formerly called the Cypress and Kelsey Trail health regions.Earlier this month, health-care workers demanded the province pause rollout in the remaining regions. Health-care unions said the software left some workers partially or totally unpaid and jeopardized some patient care because of scheduling issues.The decision is a “win for health-care workers” who repeatedly raised concerns about the scheduling system, said SEIU-West president Lisa Zunti. The main problem was how the new scheduling system interacted with the new payroll system, she added.“If your scheduled shifts aren’t reported properly to payroll, your paycheque will be affected,” Zunti said. “Additionally, shifts that aren’t scheduled and filled appropriately leave patients and residents without the care they need and deserve.”The AIMS project is a joint initiative between the SHA and 3sHealth, a Crown corporation that provides services such as payroll and scheduling for the Saskatchewan health system. AIMS was meant to modernize SHA administrative systems by replacing 80 outdated and disconnected systems with one integrated platform.WATCH | SHA to stop using faulty scheduling software:Sask. Health Authority to cease use of faulty scheduling software after missed paycheques, shiftsFollowing the scrapping of the AIMS scheduling software, the Saskatchewan Health Authority said they’ll revert to their older software systems by Nov. 30, while officials look for a new, long-term fix.The overall cost so far, however, has been more than triple the initial $86-million budget.The entire AIMS project has cost $272 million as of the end of August, said 3sHealth CEO Mark Anderson. In 2023, the provincial auditor warned the project’s cost could reach $240 million.“This is, again, a symptom of a government that has a very, very poor track record of managing large projects and getting good value for money from taxpayers,” Opposition NDP MLA Keith Jorgenson said on Thursday. Solution searchOnce the old system is up and running, SHA and 3sHealth will start looking for a long-term solution to modernize scheduling processes across the province. The AIMS project will conclude once the transition to the legacy scheduling system is running. The switch back requires the use of five “legacy systems” that the new scheduling software was meant to replace. Anderson expects the transition to finish by Nov. 30.“The investment we made in stabilizing these five systems in order to phase in the overall rollout [of AIMS] will serve us well in the short term,” Anderson said.AIMS implementation happened in phases and health-care unions have been pointing out flaws in the new system since it launched.The SHA is only ending the rollout of the scheduling component of AIMS and will continue using the software in areas such as payroll and supply chain management. About 7,000 employees are affected by the change.“We have listened and we recognize these challenges,” Will said. “While we’ve worked closely with our vendors to address functionality issues, we have determined that these could not be resolved as quickly or as effectively as required.”WATCH | Sask. health-care unions frustrated with province over contract talks:Sask. health-care unions frustrated with province over contract talksUnions representing health-care workers in Saskatchewan rallied in front of the legislature Wednesday, saying they’re frustrated by what they see as the provincial government’s unwillingness to sign a new contract and address staffing levels and patient overcrowding in hospitals.The SHA hired Deloitte Canada to implement AIMS across the province.“We will be having conversations and have had conversations with Deloitte about the product that was proposed to meet our scheduling needs,” Will said.When asked if 3sHealth plans to recoup any of the costs associated with the aborted scheduling software, CEO Mark Anderson said in a statement to CBC that he’s focused on the affected employees and getting the old system running again. “Accountability is important to us, and there will be an opportunity to assess our options after the project is complete, but right now we are committed to providing proper support through this transition back to more reliable and familiar systems,” Anderson said in the statement.Minister’s ordersOn Wednesday, Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill said he ordered the SHA to stop using the software when he learned there is no immediate fix to it.“It’s a complicated IT system and they couldn’t give me a clear timeline on when we might start to see some of these fixes … and that concerns me,” Cockrill told reporters at the legislature.SEIU-West — which represents health-care workers such as lab techs and licensed practical nurses — said it has filed nearly 100 AIMS-related grievances with the SHA. The union said scheduling software issues affected available care for home care patients.The SHA originally planned to rollout AIMS in 2021, but it was delayed until November 2022 and then cancelled due to widespread functionality errors related to pay and scheduling. AIMS relaunched in June 2024 with implementation planned in phases. In August 2024, an internal memo from the SHA apologized to doctors after the new software had caused delays in physician payments.ABOUT THE AUTHORJeremy Warren is a reporter in Saskatoon. You can reach him at jeremy.warren@cbc.ca.
Sask. Health Authority, 3sHealth apologize for faulty AIMS scheduling software
