Just like most of her constituents, Estevan MLA Doreen Eagles was pleased to see last week’s provincial budget is not going to slow down the province’s forward momentum, in spite of a distinct slowdown in the provincial oil patch triggered by declining prices.
“The premier said everything was on the table, which caused concern, but I am relieved in the fact that municipal revenue sharing, for instance, is not being reduced. That was a big concern,” said Eagles, who spoke with the Mercury via telephone on March 19, the day after the budget was presented in the legislature.
“I’m also happy to see no tax increases. That could have been the easy way out, but instead, we made some changes and choice and did some cuts instead,” said the veteran MLA who announced her retirement which will occur once the next election campaign begins.
Eagles said she was happy to see $7.6 million in the budget for the Highway 39 twinning project, that will allow for construction to begin later this year for a small stretch of a four-lane highway from the Bienfait corner to Estevan. That stretch went into the planning and design stages last year and land acquisition is pretty well complete, she suggested.
Another $1.2 million was included in the budget for the planning of the next stage of the four-lane program that will eventually see a twinned highway stretching all the way from Estevan to Regina. That $1.2 million, she figured, would be for preliminary fact-gathering and the ongoing public consultation sessions. One such series of consultations has already been held and a second round is set for later this month and early April.
“I haven’t received my package of specific details yet, but I expect that’s where that money will be spent,” she said.
Sticking with the highways theme, the budget numbers also ensured the completion of the heavy truck bypass around Estevan this coming summer and fall with $14.7 million earmarked for that project that is about three-quarters complete.
The South East Regional College got mention in the budget as well, and that is for the completion of their regional headquarters that is being built in concert with the refurbishment and expansion of the Weyburn Comprehensive School, which will also proceed as planned, and is expected to be completed late this year, or in early 2016.
“Borrowing for capital projects is an ambitious move, but we must keep building and some items just could not be delayed and really, we don’t want to delay things. That was done in the past and it takes years to recover. Borrowing $700 million strictly for capital projects, not for operating funds, is a good way to go with the decrease in the oil patch income,” said Eagles.
A bid for a new regional nursing home in Estevan to replace the current outdated facility, was not on the list this year when Finance Minister Ken Krawetz turned to the health file comments in his budget address.
There was, however, $500,000 for preliminary planning for a new hospital in Weyburn which has been on the books for several years now, and is now getting closer to a green light. Eagles speculated that the formal application for the nursing home, arriving in the latter part of the year, just didn’t make it to the budget consultation rounds, but she assured the community she would be advocating and lobbying for it right up to the point where she will step aside.
Eagles, who operates a family farm, added she was happy to see only modest cuts made to the agriculture portfolio that now sits at around $362.4 million and that the Ag Stability program is stable as is the crop insurance program which is actually being enhanced.
Cuts to the seniors drug plan, reducing the threshold for coverage and the family activities assistance plan, were lamentable, but necessary under the stricter financial situation.
“Overall, I’m pretty happy with it. No tax increases and the ability to keep moving on bringing in fresh infrastructure, is a big plus.”
The numbers
$2.36 million to City of Estevan
$7.6 million twinning Highway39 Estevan to Bienfait
$1.2 million twinning Highways 39, 6 Regina to Estevan
$13.3 billion, projected provincial debt, an increase from $11.7 billion
$107 million, expected budget surplus
