Provincial Budget Day - additional comments

Link to the full INK article: Budget increase in highways and infrastructure

What a hectic day Budget Day was at the provincial legislature! Filled with people crammed together like sardines, it was challenging at times to keep a clear head amidst all of the noise. At the end of the day, I got the story done and here are a few extra things in addition to my INK article.

SUMA Vice-President Jim Scarrows.

SUMA Vice-President Jim Scarrows said SUMA would like to see in the future education funded only by the provincial government, but he said this is still an option at this point. Also, the government’s commitment to the one point of PST will help SUMA deliver recycling, pure water, further protection for citizens, and recreational programs.

Also, part of the $134 million capital funding for municipal infrastructure includes $57.2 million in federal money from the Gas Tax Program. The program aids with municipal infrastructure projects.

Infrastructure funding includes an extra $5.5 million for municipalities’ borrowing through the Saskatchewan Infrastructure Growth Initiative or SIGI. There’s also a new SIGI Recreation Pilot Program, which will give municipalities with interest rate subsidies for up to five years. It deals with $12.5 million of municipal borrowing to aid in the development of recreational infrastructure in order to reach the requirements of growing communities. 

The link to the 2011-12 Saskatchewan budget: The Saskatchewan Advantage

Photo by Lisa Goudy

Supplements for INK article 3

The full INK article can be found here: Green party releases anti-attack ad

I found that at the end of the day, when my third INK article was completed, there were a few supplements I could provide here.

The Green party’s ad targeting attack ads is found below:

CBC Web Poll: What do you think of political attack ads?.

 

Steve White sits in his office.

Steve White, a political science professor at the University of Regina had more to say about attack ads not focusing on issues, but on the reliability and capability of the opponents. The Green party is trying to “capture the protest vote,” White said. Because of the potential spring election, there are several other ads running across the country. The Green party is “simply joining the race,” said White.

“I’m sure we’ll see many attack ads or negative ads again this campaign as we’ve seen many times before, certainly,” White said.

Kieran Green, the director of communications for the Greens, also mentioned what the Green party views as the main issues in the possible election. The Greens are promoting a fiscally responsible economy, decreasing the deficit, decrease government spending on revenue, decrease corporate taxes, and to focus on community issues like health care, employment, education, and programs for seniors.

The Green Party is also hoping to achieve a “true democracy,” said Green. This would result in the seats in the House accurately representing the number of votes. In the last election, the Green Party had approximately one million votes, but received no seats. Electoral reform is the optimal option, said Green.

Photo by Lisa Goudy

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