Former NDP candidate, Troy Parenteau, is among those unimpressed with the Sask. Party government's plan to give Saskatchewan residents cheques for $500 this fall. (Twitter/ Troy Parenteau)

By Rob Mahon

Cheques Opportunity Cost

Former NDP candidate questions timing, opportunity cost of $500 provincial cheques

Aug 23, 2022 | 2:00 PM

Many Saskatchewan residents are now looking forward to a $500 cheque in the mail from the provincial government.

As the saying goes, however, there’s no such thing as a free lunch and critics are wondering what else this money could’ve been spent on.

A former candidate for the NDP from the Prince Albert area is among those skeptical of the timing and logistics of this plan. The NDP has referred to the cheques as “‘buy’-election bucks” with several byelections looming.

“The Saskatchewan NDP was calling for this four or five months ago during the session where resource revenues were going up and windfalls were happening,” said Troy Parenteau, former NDP candidate for Prince Albert Carlton. “We just find it curious that it’s happening at a time when four candidates in Meewasin (are being) elected.”

One of the most common complaints about these cheques is the opportunity cost. The province estimates they will total around $450 million, and critics have pointed out that money could go a long way in some struggling sectors.

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“We’re hearing about underfunding in education, collapse in healthcare, staff shortages all across the province,” Parenteau said. “But also, on top of it, this is a government that has added PST to new items, that has increased our energy, that’s increased our power, increased insurance rates. There are other means and ways to make life more affordable.”

Some aspects of the proposed PST expansion are being walked back, as the province sent out a release this morning announcing changes to their initial plan. The idea of giving people cheques, however, isn’t new for this government (SGI has offered rebate cheques two years in a row now) and Parenteau said he’s seeing a pattern emerge.

“Handing us a $100 cheque here and a $500 cheque there isn’t really helping families’ bottom line,” said Parenteau.

With inflation hitting Saskatchewan just as it’s hitting the rest of the country and much of the world, $500 doesn’t go quite as far as it used to. Parenteau proposed some other measures he would like to see the province spend money on when there is an abundance of it.

“I know the debt is at an all-time record high,” Parenteau said. “That’s on people’s minds. Our healthcare has shortages in staff and the crises going on, those are things that I think are priority and people are talking about.”

Parenteau added the lack of funding for education is also something the province might be better off spending this money to address.

Cheques from the provincial government should begin to arrive in the fall. The government estimates they will mail 900,000 cheques.

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rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP