Members of Estevan city council had the opportunity to pepper Estevan MLA Lori Carr with questions during the July 15 council meeting.
Carr, who spent nearly 10 years on city council, started by giving a brief update on current happenings at the provincial legislature, and touched on the province’s financial picture.
She expects the province will have a balanced budget in the 2019-20 fiscal year.
Once the questions began, Councillor Shelly Veroba asked Carr about extra funding for mental health services, and if there has been a reduction in wait times in Estevan.
“They put $30 million extra in for mental health services, and all of that started in May, so to actually have numbers in by now to be able to track those is going to be tough,” said Carr.
The MLA said she would be interested to see what those numbers are.
Veroba also asked if there would be new services in Estevan, citing concerns that people have to travel to Weyburn for a psychiatrist. They don’t always get to see the same doctor, either.
Carr said she would look into the issue.
Councillor Lyle Yanish wanted to know if there was any funding available for Highway 47 from Estevan to the junction with Highway 361.
“That’s getting pretty beat up, and now even with the patch jobs, it’s sometimes better if it’s left alone, because the patch jobs seem to be just as bad,” said Yanish.
Carr, who is the minister of Highways and Infrastructure, said there isn’t anything for Highway 47 north of Estevan in the short-term.
Councillor Greg Hoffort wanted to know about the future of carbon capture and storage for the Shand Power Station and Unit 6 at Boundary Dam. Hoffort pointed out that the cost is coming down, which Carr acknowledged.
But she also pointed out the potential impact that some new regulations will have on the cost of natural gas power plants.
“That will be another feather for coal to be able to make that argument and make it more feasible,” said Carr. “When we talk about coal and our whole network … we still need to think about baseload generation.”
The next time there is another assessment, CCS will be in a better position, she said.
Mayor Roy Ludwig once again cited the city’s desire for Estevan to receive funding from the provincial government due to the pending retirement of Units 4 and 5 at Boundary Dam. Ludwig would also like to see an economic impact statement from the province.
Councillor Travis Frank wanted to know if Carr was at the table to discuss the future of power production in the province, so that she could bring the needs of Estevan to the table.
Frank also pointed out that if there is a change in government federally in this fall’s election, the outlook would be better for Estevan.
Councillor Dennis Moore suggested it was time to repeal some of the new taxes that were introduced by the provincial government a couple of years ago. It’s had a negative impact on a lot of people.
If they aren’t eliminated, Moore said the Sask. Party won’t receive the support it expects during the next provincial election.
“Some of those taxes have affected some companies big-time up to today. Personally I don’t think a lot of thought was put into some of those increases,” said Moore.
Once the provincial government does have a balanced budget, Carr said the government will assess some of the taxes that were imposed.
Moore did thank her for the government’s commitment to resurface Highway 47 south, which is expected to happen next year.
Carr noted the government is embarking on its plan for 2030, and it is now looking for feedback on where the province should be headed in the next 10 years.
