Premier Scott Moe has revealed some more details from the upcoming provincial budget. (Mia Holowaychuk/650 CKOM)

By CKOM News Staff

‘Classrooms, care and communities’ will highlight Wednesday’s budget, Moe says

Mar 19, 2024 | 12:52 PM

Saskatchewan’s premier says classrooms, healthcare and communities are the top priorities in the upcoming provincial budget.

The budget is to be tabled Wednesday afternoon by Finance Minister Donna Harpauer. While Premier Scott Moe has already unveiled part of the budget, he hinted at more of its contents in a video shared to social media on Monday.

“This budget will deliver the largest-ever increase in school operating funding, up $180 million, or nearly nine per cent,” the premier said.

“It will deliver the largest-ever increase in municipal revenue sharing for Saskatchewan communities. Cities, towns, villages and RMs will be up $42 million, or about 14 per cent. And it will deliver the largest increase in health-care funding in Saskatchewan’s history, up $726 million, or more than 10 per cent.”

The premier previously noted the education budget will add up to $2.2 billion, and will include more than $356 million that has been specifically allocated to classroom supports.

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Moe said the increased investments are only possible due to Saskatchewan’s growing economy and population, but the premier noted that growth can create some difficulties along with benefits.

“In this new budget, you will see our government respond to the challenges of a growing province by reinvesting the very benefits from that growing province in classrooms, in care and in communities,” Moe said. “And there will be a lot more detail on Wednesday.”

The increase in the education budget was previously announced by Moe in a failed effort to bring the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation back to the bargaining table. The government and federation have been at an impasse for some time, with teachers calling for stipulations on class size and classroom complexity to be built into their new collective agreement.

Teachers are planning to hold a single-day, provincewide strike on Wednesday, with thousands of union members expected to demonstrate at the Legislative Building in Regina to voice their displeasure at the lack of a new agreement.

But while Moe touted record investments in a number of important areas, he didn’t say if Wednesday’s budget would be balanced.

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation called on the premier to focus on balancing this year’s budget in order to minimize Saskatchewan’s debt, and the accompanying interest payments.

According to Gage Haubrich, the federation’s prairie director, Saskatchewan’s provincial debt needs to be well managed by the province so it doesn’t balloon out of control.

“Taxpayers balance their household budgets and they are only asking for the government to do the same,” Haubrich said in a statement.

According to the federation, interest charges on Saskatchewan’s debt this year will total around $640 million, which works out to $522 per person.

“The government needs to give Saskatchewan a balanced budget,” Haubrich said. “The debt cannot keep increasing and put taxpayers on the hook for even higher debt interest charges.”

The Saskatchewan NDP also sounded the alarm about the provincial debt, saying it has nearly doubled in the six years since Moe became premier.

According to a report from the province, gross debt is expected to be $31.6 billion at the fiscal year-end.

“Governments need to be more focused on solving problems, not just throwing money at them,” Saskatchewan NDP Leader Carla Beck said in a statement.

“After 17 years, this tired and out-of-touch government is straight out of fresh ideas and this province deserves a change.”

650 CKOM and 980 CJME will bring you live, in-depth overage both online and on the air as the full provincial budget is unveiled Wednesday afternoon.