PRINCE ALBERT -- On Thursday afternoon, in the banquet room at the Travelodge on Second Avenue West, the Prince Albert Chamber of Commerce held its monthly luncheon.
This month’s luncheon featured Darryl Hickie, the MLA for Prince Albert Carlton, as the guest speaker.
Hickie broached many topics in his address and fielded a few questions after his speech.
Toward the beginning of his speech, Hickie stated that the Saskatchewan Party government is doing “what governments should do, which is stay out of the way and allow industry and business to run this province.”
“For too many years too much emphasis (was put) on government involvement,” he added.
Hickie said that the present government inherited a debt of about $6 million, and in the last four years they have paid this debt down to about $3.8 million.
In an interview with The Herald, the MLA for Prince Albert Northcote, Darcy Furber, who is the critic for energy and resources and deputy house leader with the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party, offered his perspective on the province’s finances. He did not attend the luncheon.
“The Sask. Party inherited just over a $2-billion surplus from the NDP, which was essentially applied to debt in the first year. Since that first year, the debt of the province has increased each year. In spite of the fact that the Sask. Party has enjoyed record revenue for the last three years, they have taken $2 billion dollars from the ‘rainy day’ fund, and stripped an additional $2 billion from our Crown Corporations (at a rate of $500 billion per year instead of a previous average of $150 billion),” he said.
“The accounting method the Sask. Party used, (which) allows them to claim that they’ve paid off debt, as Mr. Hickie describes, has been described by the Saskatchewan Provincial Auditor as ‘inappropriate’ for failing to use standard accounting practices. These practices are not used in any other jurisdiction in Canada. This fiscal shell game must not be allowed to continue,” Furber added.
Toward the end of his address, Hickie touched on an issue that has been a topic of discussion around the city as of late — funding for repairs to the Diefenbaker Bridge and funding for a second bridge in the near future.
In regards to the Diefenbaker Bridge, Hickie said that the government is committed to assisting the city with the cost of repairs as they recognize the importance of the bridge and the highway that carries the abundant resources of the North to national and international markets.
As for a second bridge for the city, Hickie said that it is “inevitable” that one would be constructed in the future but a timeline had not yet been determined.
Hickie closed his speech by explaining the provincial government will ensure the city does not have to bear the cost alone, as a route like Highway 2, which crosses the Diefenbaker Bridge, will be a “major artery” for goods that are of a financial benefit to the province as a whole.
Jason.Stockfish@paherald.sk.ca
