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Saskatoon doctor and public health advocate Ryan Meili has announced he’ll seek the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party nomination in the Saskatoon Meewasin byelection.

Meili, who unsuccessfully ran twice for the NDP leadership in 2009 and 2012, made his intentions known in a public Facebook post on Thursday.

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“I’ve been involved as a physician and an advocate for a long time trying to push for a healthier Saskatchewan and a healthier overall Canada,” he said.

“It’s clear to me that if we want a healthier society, we need to be addressing the social determinants of health. Those factors — income, education, housing and food security — those are really the stuff of public policy.”

The Saskatoon Meewasin seat became vacant after the death of Saskatchewan Party MLA Roger Parent on Nov. 29. Meili is now taking steps to determine if a bid is possible, calling Parent’s death a “tragic loss” for Saskatchewan.