The Government of Saskatchewan has done a complete 180-degree turnaround on its announced cut of library funding.
On Monday the province announced it would restore funding for Saskatchewan libraries back to the 2016-17 funding levels.
The decision was made, according to a provincial news release, to “ensure that regional and municipal libraries and the interlibrary loan services remain operational”. The announcement means an additional $4.8 million will be provided, in addition to the $3.5 million from the March 22 budget.
Going forward, the government says it will engage with libraries, municipalities and the public to develop a long-term strategy for the future of libraries, which includes reviewing The Public Libraries Act.
“Premier Wall has always said that we would be the kind of government that would admit its mistakes and then fix those mistakes,” said Education Minister Don Morgan in a statement.
“There were many necessary, difficult decisions taken in this budget, however the reductions in library funding without giving libraries the tools to meet the new challenge was a mistake. So today I am announcing restoration of library funding as well as a consultative review with the Saskatchewan libraries and municipalities to determine the way forward in terms of what is best for library users and communities as well as what is also financially responsible.”
Regional libraries had been facing a 58 percent cut to its provincial funding under the budget.
In a statement, Lakeland Library Region responded positively to the news. “Lakeland Library Region would like to thank the Provincial Government and Education Minister Don Morgan for reversing the $4.8 million cuts in funding to the provincial library system,” they said in a statement on their website Monday.
Canadian Union of Public Employees president Tom Graham called the reversal “a victory for the thousands of people across Saskatchewan who stood up for our libraries.” Nevertheless, the organization also pointed to lingering questions about the impact for library workers who had already lost their jobs.
“Close to 15 library workers were laid off due to funding cuts. Now that the funding is restored we hope the regional libraries will do the right thing and welcome these workers back to work,” said Graham in a statement.
“We are glad that the provincial government recognized its mistakes, but there are a lot of mistakes in its budget that it still needs to account for.”
