Work will begin immediately to make a site selection for Weyburn’s new acute care hospital, said Weyburn-Big Muddy MLA Dustin Duncan after the provincial government’s budget estimates were tabled in the Legislature before it was shut down on Wednesday.
There was a limited sitting in the Assembly on Wednesday, said Duncan, with 18 MLAs present, 14 of them members of the cabinet, and the sitting lasted about five minutes before a motion was presented for the estimates, and to close the current sitting of the Legislature.
Later on that day, the government announced a state of emergency for Saskatchewan, with new, stricter guidelines to clamp down on interactions between people in a bid to control the spread of the coronavirus.
“It’s just an unprecedented and challenging time for the province,” said Duncan, noting this is an “extraordinary” point in history right now, and the government is going to do their best to help the province get through the pandemic.
“We are all feeling the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and our government’s first priority is the safety and health of Saskatchewan people. That is precisely why we need to proceed with these expenditures now, providing stability and much needed new spending at the start of the fiscal year. It is particularly important our health care funding flows and our infrastructure investment is in place to help our economy,” commented Finance minister Donna Harpauer in presenting the estimates.
The budget estimates set out a plan to spend $14.15 billion this year, which is up by 3.1 per cent from last year.
The Ministry of Health’s expense is $5.77 billion, an increase of more than $211 million, or 3.8 per cent, from one year ago.
The government will provide the Saskatchewan Health Authority with a $3.74 billion grant this year, an increase of $140.6 million, or 3.9 per cent over last year. This funds the doctors, nurses and other health care professionals who today are on the front lines in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, while meeting the health needs of Saskatchewan residents.
In regard to the Weyburn hospital, Duncan noted that from the funds dedicated to the project in the past, there is about $2.5 million that is still unused, and this will be used now to finalize a site for the new hospital, including any geotechnical testing (such as soil sampling) that may need to be done, or acquiring land if it’s needed.
The Saskatchewan Health Authority will be starting on this work immediately, said the MLA, and will be working with the City as they consider what the best site for a new hospital will be. Some locations had been forwarded by the former Sun Country Health District, he said, and these sites plus any new suggested sites will be investigated.
The 2020-21 Estimates also provide $278 million in Municipal Revenue sharing through the Ministry of Government Relations. Revenue sharing is up nearly $27 million from last year, or 11 per cent, and up almost 119 per cent since 2007-08.
The 2020-21 Estimates include nearly $648 million to improve safety and increase the capacity of Saskatchewan’s highways. More than 1,000 kilometres of provincial highways will be upgraded in 2020-21.
Continuing work on Highway 39 for passing lanes in the Weyburn area will be a part of this spending, as Duncan noted that contractors have already been stockpiling aggregate at key points to enable the startup of this work this year.
This year’s Estimates include municipal infrastructure, providing nearly $166 million for various municipal projects.
Among these projects will be a $15 million landfill closure program, and Duncan noted there are some smaller municipalities in the Weyburn-Big Muddy riding that are looking into closing their landfills, which will involve some costs.
The government will introduce the Oil Infrastructure Investment Program, a SaskFirst new growth tax incentive administered by the Ministry of Energy and Resources to support new and expanded pipelines, as well as new pipeline terminals, to flow oil to markets. Duncan noted that the price of oil is low at the current time, but the point of this program is to help get Saskatchewan crude petroleum moving to market so as to close the differential gap price-wise.
Other highlights of the budget estimates include:
• The Ministry of Education’s 2020-21 expense is $2.57 billion, an increase of $86 million, or 3.5 per cent from 2019-20. Saskatchewan’s 27 school divisions will receive $1.94 billion in operating funding for the 2020-21 school year, which is a $42 million increase over last year to address enrolment growth, inflation and collective bargaining.
• The Ministry of Social Services’ expense is $1.29 billion in 2020-21, up $50.6 million or 4.1 per cent from 2019-20. Increased funding of $10.9 million to third-party service providers includes a $6.8 million increase for those who work with people with intellectual disabilities. Service providers supporting at-risk children, youth and families receive a $2.5 million increase.
• The 2020-21 Estimates continues investments in programs and initiatives to ensure Saskatchewan is the best place in Canada to live for people with disabilities. This includes $613 million, an increase of $27.4 million, from ministries across government for enhanced programming and support for people with disabilities.
• There is $739 million, an increase of $11.2 million in these Estimates, for the Ministry of Advanced Education for post-secondary institutions and to strengthen supports for students and graduates, including maintaining the Graduate Retention Program.
• To help build a stronger province, the government will provide a PST rebate for new home construction, of up to 42 per cent of the PST paid on a new house contract up to $350,000, excluding the land, for new homes purchased after March 31, 2020, and before April 1, 2023.
