The Editor:
In September 2007, Saskatchewan Party leader Brad Wall unequivocally stated that Crowns are not going to be privatized and (subsidiaries) are not going to be wound down.
Yet, here we are some eight years later with Wall proposing the sale/giveaway of yet another Saskatchewan money maker, namely the Saskatchewan Government Liquor stores, while we, the taxpayer will be saddled with the problems that liquor abuse seems to be responsible for.
Wall has sold off dozens of jobs previously done by the Crowns and their subsidiaries.
For example, SaskTel alone contracted out or sold seven of its services. SaskEnergy is forced to sell three of its subsidiaries to comply with Wall’s Saskatchewan First mandate. Never mind SaskPower’s carbon capture fiasco. SaskPower was forced to divest themselves of assets that did not conform to Wall’s Saskatchewan First policy.
Under Wall’s tutorage, Sask Landing, Cypress Hill and Greenwater Lake Provincial Parks sold/privatized cabin rentals as well as services such as clearing and maintaining hiking trails, firewood supplies etc., to private sectors.
The Saskatchewan First policy was a thinly disguised policy adopted by Wall, whose purpose was to prevent government-owned companies from competing against the private sector.
Under a premier who stated Crowns and their subsidiaries would not be privatized, Saskatchewan has sourced out more jobs than one can imagine. Hospital laundry services to Alberta, SaskFerco to Norway, Power to Northland Power, Ontario, and so on.
Now Premier Wall (Premier Pinocchio) wants to privatize 40 plus Saskatchewan Government Liquor stores. Every one of these stores employ several people who shop locally, enroll their children in the local schools, pay taxes to the community, partake in local churches, organizations and sports — these will be gone.
The local grocery store will, no doubt, apply for the privilege of supplying local customers with their liquor supplies. This in itself, will create many problems. Now, where should we display our stash of booze? Display it next to the soft drinks, no, it is a beverage, how about the juice department — better still, right with the milk — and how will one monitor the “under drinking age” clerk who is operating the cash register? And what of the convenience store that is open 24-7? Just who will monitor the sale of liquor at all hours of the day?
Joyce Neufeld
Waldeck, Sask.
