Melfort MLA shares his thoughts on the provincial budget

Some of the highlights from the budget include a record amount for health care spending which will mainly focus on reducing the backlog of surgery wait times that grew during the pandemic.

Goudy said this is one of the biggest concerns residents have been calling him about.

“I’ve had a lot of call-ins about surgical wait times and some of our seniors especially have been waiting to get their surgery. We’re putting a lot of money in catching up on those surgical waitlists so that people can get those much-needed knee replacements and other procedures.”

The budget deficit will be smaller than anticipated, at $463 million, which is about $2.1 billion lower than was forecast. The government hopes to balance the books by 2027.

The reduction in red ink is primarily due to increased revenue from natural resources such as oil and gas and potash.

When talking about the agriculture sector in the northeast, Goudy pointed to the BHP Jansen Potash mine and the record investments there. He hopes that as the project gains steam, it will attract qualified workers.

“So, I think one of our biggest challenges will be to provide labour and these are going to be great paying jobs across the province. I think it’s just an exciting news story for the entire province and for the young people that are looking to make Saskatchewan their home moving forward and parents who would like to see their kids make their own communities the place where they’ll raise their grandchildren. I know that that’s my desire and the outlook for Saskatchewan with all that investment is very positive.”

Goudy also touched on the money coming to policing across Saskatchewan. While there is no specific spending set aside for Melfort in this area, Goudy said the funding will still have an impact on the community.

“I think that’s going to make a difference in rural Saskatchewan and urban Saskatchewan, we’re going to see an improvement as we move forward with our new direction in policing. It’s a cross-provincial plan that will affect Melfort as well as every other community.”

All good news aside, the province acknowledged it can’t rely heavily in resource revenue to fund these projects, which is why they also announced the expansion of the PST program and a slight rise in the mill rate and tobacco costs.

As of October 1, the six per cent PST will be collected on green fees and gym memberships, and on tickets to fairs, concerts, museums, entertainment events and sporting events.

The expansion aligns with items on which the GST is already collected.

Children’s activities, amateur events and activities run by schools or non-profit charities will be exempt.

Previously, the PST was collected on things like appliances, home and auto insurance, used cars, children’s clothing, and repairs and renovations.

The government expects the expanded PST will create around $21 million in revenue annually.

–With files from 650 CKOM

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derek.craddock@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @pa_craddock

by northeastNOW Staff

Melfort MLA shares his thoughts on the provincial budget

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