The provincial budget was presented last week, and there were a number of changes to programs, with some increased spending in certain areas, and others seeing cuts.
Greg Ottenbreit, Yorkton MLA, says that this budget is about keeping "The Saskatchewan Advantage," and is set to achieve the goals set forth by the throne speech last year.
He notes that the budget is again balanced, and he says the biggest increases are in the human services area, with a $92.8 million increase in funding for the health regions, along with $3.5 million to the Seniors Personal Care Home Benefit, expanded Saskatchewan Assured Income for Disability programs. There were also increases in education and new housing programs, which include the first time home buyer's credit, as well as tax incentives for new multi-unit rental properties. He also notes that the highways budget will become the biggest the province has seen, with a total budget of $581.5 million.
There have been some increased costs for users of certain programs, such as the prescription drug plan for children and seniors going from $15 to $20, and an increase in the ambulance ride deductible. Ottenbreit says they tried to find a balance to keep the programs sustainable, but avoid passing the entire cost on to the people of the province.
"It shows that we're trying to keep up with these increasing costs, but trying not to push the complete cost back on the tax payer," Ottenbreit says.
Trent Wotherspoon, NDP finance critic, believes that the budget is "choosing politicians over people." He believes that seniors will suffer from the changes to programs.
"Seniors are being asked to cough up hundreds of dollars a year out of their budgets. These are pioneers of our province, many of them on fixed incomes and at a time when we're doing well as a province we should support our seniors," he says.
Since the province is doing well and seeing population increases, Wotherspoon believes that these costs should not be increasing, saying it's a time to support the seniors and families of the province.
One of the more controversial cuts was the removal of the film tax credit. Ottenbreit says that credit was not cost effective.
"The film tax credit was put in during 1998 as a way to spark the film industry to get it up and running. It's got to the point where it's costing anywhere from $5-8 million per year, and it was felt by the government at this time that the money was better spent elsewhere," Ottenbreit says.
Wotherspoon says that the film industry shouldn't be abandoned, and that the cut to the program will see many jobs disappears, and he is concerned that facilities like the sound stage in Regina will be shuttered due to lack of demand.
"This is big hit to our economy, but further than that, it's a significant cultural loss," Wotherspoon says.
He also believes that more should be done with housing. While he says that his party could get behind a program such as a tax incentive for new multi-unit rentals in the province, he believes that program is too little to make a meaningful difference in the housing market.
"This is a difficult budget, and it doesn't have to be this way. We have a time in Saskatchewan has a tremendous opportunity, we have a growing economy, we have a population that's growing, this provides the chance and the opportunity to improve the lives of Saskatchewan people. Saskatchewan people deserves better than this," Wotherspoon says.
He says that if given the opportunity, his party wouldn't spend money on things such as increasing the number of MLAs or putting new statues in the legislature, but would focus on providing increased funding to seniors in the province.
Ottenbreit says that the opposition reaction leads him to wonder if they looked at the same budget he read, and he says that the overall picture is bright for the people of the province.
"When you look at the overall budget the increases in spending in human services, and support for students, support for seniors, support for families, support for those with disabilities, we've got some positive feedback," Ottenbreit says.
From a local perspective, Mayor James Wilson says that the City of Yorkton is pleased with the budget overall. He says that the 9.5 per cent increase in revenue sharing with municipalities will help Yorkton deal with increasing population and costs associated with that growth. He says he's also satisfied with the rental housing tax incentive, saying it's something that is needed in the province. He also says that some initiatives could potentially benefit the city.
"There's some discussion in the health care model for projects that could potentially fall in our region and our city. It's still to be determined, but a good step forward," Wilson says.
One of the areas which he sees as needing more work and discussion is funding for infrastructure needs for the cities in the province. He says work needs to be done in that area, and is optimistic that as talks take place federal and provincial dollars will be available for necessary improvements.
Overall, he's pleased with the increases in revenue sharing, and says that there were no major disappointments for the city in this budget.
"We always say we share in good times, and we share in bad times," Wilson concludes.
