The City of Estevan says it is happy to see infrastructure needs addressed in the provincial government's Plan for Growth that was released last week by Premier Brad Wall.
The extensive document touched on the Sask. Party's plans to grow the province to 1.2 million residents and how it plans on getting to that goal.
Among the critical areas touched on by Wall was infrastructure which is a major issue here in Estevan. City manager Jim Puffalt said he was pleased to see the province acknowledge many of the problems facing Saskatchewan communities.
"I think it's positive every time the province recognizes that infrastructure is a key," said Puffalt. "The new stuff is generally covered by developers, it's the older things that we need the help with."
In releasing the plan, Wall announced that the government was going to invest at least $2.5 billion in infrastructure over the next three budgets and also announced an initial infrastructure commitment of $150 million from the Growth and Financial Security Fund.
"This is on top of the $50 million announced earlier this month for a number of priority highway projects," Wall said. "This further $150 million will be used to establish the new SaskBuilds Fund and will leverage hundreds of millions of dollars more through financing innovation like public-private partnerships," Wall said.
In a press release it was noted that SaskBuilds is a new government organization designed to drive innovation in infrastructure financing, design and delivery.
"This new funding will be used to develop partnerships with other levels of government and the private sector," Wall said. "Our government will work with Saskatchewan municipalities to develop a municipal infrastructure program funded through SaskBuilds. When used as a base for P3s, this initial $150 million will leverage hundreds of millions more for SaskBuilds infrastructure projects."
Housing was another topic in the growth plan and Puffalt said he has been happy with the strides that have been made at the provincial level which are just now beginning to bear fruit in Estevan.
"They have been very receptive in listening to what the needs of the communities are," he said. "It has been obvious for five years that we needed to put a housing plan together and they have made great strides on that and they are not stopping, they are continuing to move forward and recognize that the province is the same as Estevan. The thing that is limiting our growth is finding places for people to live, so we have to all work very hard in creating the atmosphere and investing wherever possible to make sure that there are units for people."
Also of interest to southeast Saskatchewan is the creation of the Saskatchewan Heritage Initiative. Led by former University of Saskatchewan president Peter MacKinnon, the program will look at options and provide advice on how to best utilize Saskatchewan's non-renewable resource revenue once the province's debt has been retired.
"The most lasting legacy we can leave our children and grandchildren is a debt-free province," Wall said. "Once that is achieved, we need to look ahead to ensure that our resource revenues continue to benefit future generations. I can't think of a better person than Peter MacKinnon to assist us with this task."
Wall said Saskatchewan's business tax structure must be competitive with neighbouring provinces in order to sustain economic growth.
"Our government delivered significant reductions in personal income tax, education property tax and the small business tax in our first term," Wall said. "The Saskatchewan Plan for Growth will see the corporate business tax rate lowered to 10 per cent - the same rate levied in British Columbia and Alberta - by 2015."
Wall said Saskatchewan must also ensure it has a well-trained workforce to meet labour demands now and in the future.
"If we are going to grow to 1.2 million people by 2020, that means at least 60,000 more people working in Saskatchewan by then," Wall said.
"These workers will need to come from a number of places," Wall said. "We will work to encourage more career planning and development initiatives in high schools. We will increase training seats at SIAST for trades like carpenters, electricians and welders, occupations where we have shortages. We will work with First Nations and Métis organizations to improve educational outcomes and increase employment. We will work with the federal government to increase the annual cap on the immigrant nominee program by 50 per cent from 4,000 to 6,000. "
Other highlights of the plan include:
60,000 more people working in Saskatchewan by 2020;
Cut the provincial debt in half from its 2007 level by 2017;
Double the value of Saskatchewan's exports by 2020;
Increase crop production by 10 million tonnes by 2020;
Increase exports of agricultural and food products from $10 billion in 2011 to $15 billion in 2020;
Reduce the difference in graduation rates between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students by 50 per cent by 2020;
Lead the country in Grade 12 graduation rates by 2020;
Reduce surgical wait times to no more than three months by 2014;
Eliminate wait times in emergency rooms by 2017;
Invest $344 million to add 12,600 new housing units by 2016;
Increase the cap on provincial immigrant nominees from 4,000 to 6,000;
Deliver on a targeted 15 per cent reduction in the size of the public service by 2013-14.
While the plan has been largely well received, the opposition NDP was quick to pan Wall's announcement, calling it full of recycled ideas that only benefit a few people in the province.
"This is a new booklet of old tricks," said interim NDP leader John Nilson. "The Sask. Party wants to put Saskatchewan further into debt and deficit, with no plan to start saving until 2060. Their pamphlet is a return to the very ideological Sask. Party of 2003, pushing privatization at all costs."
In a press release, the NDP noted that the booklet outlines a debt repayment plan that, if achieved, will not see the debt paid off until 2060, with no plan to paying off the much higher Crown debt. The proposed heritage fund - an idea the NDP raised and is in support of - wouldn't begin for another 48 years.
"Every household knows, you don't wait until the mortgage is paid off before you start saving for your children's tuition fund," said Nilson.
Nilson said the party does not support the idea of SaskBuilds, a $150 million allocation to an already tried and failed project.
"SaskBuilds is a do-over on the P3 Secretariat. That venture was much-heralded, but then failed and abandoned by the Sask. Party," said Nilson.
The NDP also noted that the expensive corporate tax cut won't benefit most of Saskatchewan's employers, which are small businesses and added that many points in the booklet are previously-announced or recycled items. Among them is the re-announcement of infrastructure funding, already budgeted and already proving too little. Other so-called initiatives have no plan attached, such as the brief reference to First Nations' unemployment, which has grown steadily under the Sask. Party's watch, now at an all-time high of 21.3 per cent.
"There is no plan for First Nations and Métis unemployment, nor on the abysmal record of high school graduation rates," said Nilson. "The people of Saskatchewan - who recognize the problems this will cause - deserve better."
