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Another new Saskatchewan

During the glory days of the Saskatchewan boom, one of the recurring themes that we heard was about the new Saskatchewan. After all, Saskatchewan was changing.

 

During the glory days of the Saskatchewan boom, one of the recurring themes that we heard was about the new Saskatchewan.

After all, Saskatchewan was changing. The days of status quo Saskatchewan, the province that seemingly said “I think I can, I think I can” as it pursued a population of a million people, were over. 

The days of a premier showing a lack of ambition by saying Saskatchewan would always be in and out of equalization? Those days were done.

The new Saskatchewan was a powerhouse, a place where people came because they followed the opportunity. It was great. Our population was up. Our resource revenue was up. Our weekly wages were up. And our economy as a whole was much stronger.

Yes, we had the challenges associated with growth, but it’s better to be growing and having these challenges, than to be coasting along, with little growth happening, and a steady stream of people leaving the province for opportunities.

It appears we’ve entered another new Saskatchewan, one that is still growing, and will ultimately prove to be stronger than what we saw in the past, but is nowhere near the force that it was five years ago.

The provincial government will hand down its budget today, and odds are good you’re cringing at the thought of it, or you should be cringing at the thought of it. I know I’m not looking forward to it.

Either we’re going to have a very large deficit, or austerity will be the theme of this year’s document as the government tightens the purse strings.

The foreshadowing has not been good. Executive Air, the airline service that the government has had since 1965, is gone. MLAs are going to be accepting a wage decrease. Fees and services will be going up in many areas.

(If you’re upset about the proposed increase for hunting and angling licences, then you’re not alone. At the same time, it could have been worse. Hopefully “It could have been worse” is not the tagline for this year’s financial plan).

Will we see tax increases? I hope not, especially when it comes to the provincial sales tax. (Note: the Official Opposition shouldn’t come out and pan a PST increase; they did the same in 2004).

Will the education portion of property tax increase? I hope not.

Will the government cut municipal operating grants this year? I definitely hope not, especially if the education portion of property tax is going up. It could lead to a double-whammy on our tax bills.

Will the government force employees to take unpaid days off, slash funding for schools, hospitals or roads, or cut jobs? I certainly hope not, it would be the worst thing that could happen.

The government could follow Alberta’s lead, put its head in the sand when it comes to the deficit, and release a budget with a staggering long-term financial hit.

Those days of Alberta being a debt-free province during the Ralph Klein years are now a distant memory.

There should be a happy medium for Saskatchewan’s budget. Cut some really unnecessary government spending, increase some fees and services, increase some of the secondary taxes, and find some efficiencies in some departments.

If the government is serious about balancing the books, or coming close to a balanced budget, then they will have tough decisions. But don’t leave all of us wondering if it’s really worth it.

Welcome to the latest new Saskatchewan. Hopefully it eventually gives way to the thriving and booming province we used to know and love so much.