Battlefords MLA Herb Cox is back at work in the legislature and looking forward to some of the new initiatives being put forward by the government this fall.
"We're seeing continued commitments from our government to continue to develop programs to grow this province," said Cox, who spoke to the News-Optimist Thursday following the speech from the throne to open the fall sitting of the legislature.
He compared it to last year's commitment in the Throne Speech to prepare for 1.15 million people in 2015. Now, they are looking to 1.2 million by 2020.
"That's continuing on the same road," said Cox.
Cox said the government plans to continue to concentrate on fiscal responsibility in the next term. He was also particularly interested in the government's plans for infrastructure, one of the key initiatives put forward in the Saskatchewan Plan for Growth unveiled by the government prior to the opening of the session.
"We heard a lot this summer, myself and other MLAs as well, from constituents around the province, that their message was strong and clear. They want our infrastructure renewed and rebuilt."
To that end, Cox says the government has spent $5 billion over the last five years and will allocate another $2.5 billion over the next three years.
"Those are the things that I think the people of Saskatchewan wanted and the throne speech addresses that."
Cox noted the Plan for Growth, which Premier Brad Wall presented to a Chamber of Commerce audience in North Battleford last week, will be something the government will be focusing on in the next term.
Other policies outlined in the throne speech include efforts to add 12,600 new low-income housing units by 2016; development of 300 more apprenticeship spaces; the lowering of the business tax rate from 12 down to 10 per cent by 2015; and establishment of the Global Institute for Food Security; Cox cited the development of new housing units and the lowering of the business tax rate as "very important to continue growth."
The government also plans educational initiatives, particularly with respect to post-secondary education.
They also plan to create the Saskatchewan Advantage Grant for Education Savings, which would provide $250 per year per child for families saving for their children's post secondary education. There are also plans to introduce a new Student Achievement Initiative and provincial assessments for each student in the K-12 system, more progress on the First Nations and Métis Education and Employment Joint Tax Force, student loan forgiveness to new doctors, nurses and nurse practitioners in rural and remote areas and increased efforts at retaining and attracting physicians to the province.
Cox noted the provincial assessments are important with the province setting a "goal to have the highest graduation rate in the country." He also likes the loan forgiveness plans and initiatives designed to keep students in the province, saying "we've seen our young people leaving this province for too many years."
Another initiative that has been talked about often in the past few days are government plans to introduce photo radar in construction zones. The measures are designed to improve worker safety following the tragic death of a worker hit by a vehicle this year. The measures in these Orange Zones would see an increase in speeding fines to triple the normal penalty.
From a local perspective, Cox wants to see continued progress towards a new Saskatchewan Hospital, where $5 million was committed for detailed planning earlier this year. As well, he wants to see more infrastructure concerns addressed, but cited the government's progress and involvement in the highway twinning through Battleford (with several million provided through the Urban Highway Connector Program) and the water treatment plant there as well.
Cox emphasized that the initiatives from the government in the coming session will continue to be done in a fiscally responsible manner.
"This government is going to stay accountable. (We're) going to do it all with balanced budgets. We're not going to go into huge deficits," said the Battlefords MLA. "We're going to maintain what we've done for the last five years."
