Scott Moe speaks to reporters about the government's Throne Speech. (Lisa Schick/980 CJME)

By Glenn Hicks

the future

Prince Albert MLAs reflect on Throne Speech

Oct 23, 2019 | 6:18 PM

Prince Albert Carlton MLA, the Saskatchewan Party’s Joe Hargrave, says the government’s announcement regarding a new hospital in the city has “never been closer.” However, Prince Albert Northcote MLA, New Democrat Nicole Rancourt is once again raising concerns about what the scope of the project will be.

Speaking to paNOW after the government’s Throne Speech Wednesday – which included a segment on the redevelopment of the Victoria Hospital – Hargrave said the signing off on the pre-construction design would happen soon.

“It’s very close, I’ve been involved in many meetings about this and I hope this will come in the very near future,” he said, although he could not give specifics.

Distracted driving

Another key element of the speech, which was delivered in the legislature by Lieutenant Governor Russ Mirasty, focused on tougher penalties for cell phone usage while driving. Hargrave said the new legislation would be among the toughest in Canada.

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“There’s only a few things we can do: we can take your car away, we can charge you more money, we can increase the demerit points you get, but you can’t take people’s phones away,” he explained. “But we’re going to keep increasing the penalties until people get it.” He said the government plan for the stiffer legislation would come out within weeks. Again, there were no specifics yet.

Asked if there was light at the end of tunnel regarding the tough financial belt-tightening for the province in recent years Hargrave said “we’re well ahead of where we were in 2016-17, and we’re working towards getting back to where we were before; we think it’s just around the corner.”

A highlight of the Throne Speech was the goal of adding more than 200,000 people to the province’s population in the coming decade as well as creating 100,000 jobs. The Sask Party cited the “remarkable period of strong and sustained growth of the last 12 years” as it set the lofty goals “for a new decade of growth.”

NDP downplays goals

However, that’s not what the opposition NDP is gleaning from the speech.

Prince Albert Northcote MLA Nicole Rancourt said the document gave little immediate hope to people in Saskatchewan.

“Right now, people are struggling to make ends meet in our province; we have children struggling to learn in crowded and under-resourced classrooms,” she said. “These families aren’t concerned about what happened ten years ago, they want a government to address what’s happening right now.”

Rancourt echoed her previous concerns about the government’s plans for the Victoria hospital and their use of the term ‘redevelopment project.’

“I don’t think that’s strong enough language that confirms the construction of a new, bigger hospital,” she said.

glenn.hicks@jpbg.ca

On Twitter:@princealbertnow