The Saskatchewan NDP and the governing Sask. Party made a number of announcements this week in advance of the coming provincial election, which is to take place on or before Oct. 28.
In the first instalment of our new weekly roundup, Race to the Writ, here are a few of the pre-election announcements and developments that may have gone under the radar this week.
Saskatchewan NDP Leader Carla Beck put forward several new plans and promises, while the Sask. Party government was busy introducing new money and projects.
New NDP promises
Beck started the week with a promise to Saskatchewan’s entrepreneurs in the form of $40,000 loans as part of a start-up program. The loan program would impact entrepreneurs looking to start a business with up to 10 staff members. The loan could be used to improve commercial land or buildings, improve or purchase equipment, fund things like renovations or “leasehold improvements,” or “intangible assets and working capital costs,” according to a news release issued Monday.
On Tuesday, Beck laid out her “Hire Saskatchewan” plan, which aims to “retool the province’s existing procurement Crown, SaskBuilds, to ensure that Saskatchewan workers and businesses are put first for public contracts.” Beck said this was born out of concern that public dollars were paid to out-of-province contractors when the work could be commissioned within Saskatchewan.
Then on Thursday, Beck announced a northern strategy, which included eight promises made to residents of Saskatchewan’s northern constituencies. Some of these commitments dovetail with promises already made along the pre-campaign trail, like cutting the gas tax, removing the PST on certain items, and making vacant SaskHousing units available. New promises include hiring more doctors with an emphasis on getting Métis and First Nations people into the sector, increased funding for northern education, “restoring a physical presence for government in the North,” and putting more money into highway maintenance (particularly on Highways 155 and 123). Beck also vows to improve wildfire management and access to culturally relevant mental health and addictions supports by scrapping the Saskatchewan Marshals Service and reallocating $20 million from that project.
Government announcements
At the same time, the Government of Saskatchewan was touring the province announcing new projects and ground breakings. It started on Monday with the grand opening of the Carrot River Elementary and Carrot River High school. The project began in 2022 and students in grades 5-12 started at the new school in January. Kindergarten to Grade 4 students started in September.
There was also a funding announcement of $400,000 — in addition to an already announced $2.5 million — for the Sylvia Fedoruk Canadian Centre for Nuclear Innovation at the University of Saskatchewan. The money will go toward projects with a focus on “nuclear energy and nuclear medicine, with priority consideration for those linked to workforce development for the deployment of nuclear technologies in Saskatchewan,” according to a news release.
Last week, Premier Scott Moe was in his constituency of Rosthern-Shellbrook to announce a “preferred site” had been selected for a new hospital. The project still has some boxes to tick before shovels enter soil, like a technical site assessment and a business case, but the site has been selected for a new centre to better serve the community and surrounding area.
Popularity contest
This week, Angus Reid put out a poll showing the approval rating of premiers across Canada. Saskatchewan’s premier saw his approval rating slip to 45 per cent, which lands him narrowly as the third-most-popular premier in the country. In first place is Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew (66-per-cent approval) while in second place is a three-way tie between Alberta, Newfoundland and Labrador and British Columbia premiers who enjoy a 46-per-cent approval rating.
Moe’s popularity has been as high as 65 per cent back in 2019, while his lowest approval rating came during 2021 (43 per cent). The most-recent rating put Moe at a two-year low, according to Angus Reid polling.
The Regina Leader-Post has created an Afternoon Headlines newsletter that can be delivered daily to your inbox so you are up to date with the most vital news of the day. Click here to subscribe.
With some online platforms blocking access to the journalism upon which you depend, our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark leaderpost.com and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed. Click here to subscribe.