The current downtime at the Saskatchewan legislature is allowing politicians of all stripes to hit the road and get feedback from around the province.
One of them is NDP opposition leader Cam Broten, who was in the Battlefords Monday.
With the legislature not due back until March 2, that allowed some time for Broten to tour various areas in the province. While in the Battlefords, Broten met local constituents and representatives. Among the officials he met with was Mayor Ian Hamilton at city hall in North Battleford.
Their discussion, Broten said, focused on local initiatives.
“We are interested to hear how the province can best partner and best support local initiatives that have good merit, and are seeing results,” said Broten.
One of the initiatives Broten pointed to was the Hub approach of community organizations and police coming together to address safety issues. But he noted “that work needs to be properly supported and backed up by the province.”
“These are often provincial issues and have a broader scope. It’s not just about things the City of North Battleford and the Battlefords have control over.”
The need for funding was raised, Broten acknowledged. “It’s only common sense. When you’ve got so many local players and agencies coming together and co-operating, well, the province should provide some core support there,” he said.
There was also some discussion on what was being done locally with respect to roads and water infrastructure.
“To me it drives home the importance of the province doing its part,” said Broten. He added that ratepayers of municipal taxes are doing their part and municipal leaders are trying to be as proactive as possible in addressing issues.
What concerned Broten was the prospect of the province possibly moving away from its pledge on the one per cent municipal share of PST.
The “very open musings and discussion that (Premier Brad) Wall has started about the province stepping away from its promise to provide a percentage of the PST revenue to municipalities, that’s a big problem. That was a clear promise made to provide predictability and sustainability for municipalities. That will have big implications for the City, and what it will mean local taxes will have to go up to make up for the promise that would be broken.”
Broten also voiced concern about wasteful spending by the government, particularly on consultants.
He repeated criticism of the province’s contract with LEAN consultants John Black and Associates, LLC.
Broten said it “made no sense” when there were such huge needs in health care and seniors care for the government to “fly in sensi from Japan at $3,500 a day.”
Instead, “what we need are more people on the front lines able to do their jobs, so nursing staff aren’t run off their feet.”
Broten also pointed to the well-publicized story of how John Black and Associates went so far as to provide detailed instructions on how to brew coffee as an example of the “misplaced priorities”.
“This obsession to have everything, every small minutiae or detail standardized, that works against trained and experienced health care workers being able to use their brains and experience to come to solutions,” said Broten.
He also raised concern in education, particularly about school divisions “scraping and struggling to get enough dollars to do what needs to be done.”
He cited the need for school repairs at existing schools, pointing to Hafford School as an example, and criticized the government for not making the investments needed.
“When the economy is strong, that’s the time the repairs should have been done.”
As for other local issues, Broten continued to voice support for getting a new Saskatchewan Hospital built, but also notes “this needs to be going much faster than it has.”
Overall, Broten is happy with where the New Democrats stand right now.
“It’s been a really positive year for us as a party,” said Broten, who said he is pleased with the way the party has been able to hold the government to account.
“This government is not used to facing an effective opposition. It is now.”
The NDP leader is also satisfied with preparations for the next provincial election, with a number of candidates already nominated by the NDP.
In the Battlefords, a nomination meeting date has not yet been announced but a “number of people have expressed interest and are considering their options right now,” said Broten.
