Beginning August 15, the first provision of new tobacco legislation will come into force in Saskatchewan. This legislation is part of The Tobacco Control Amendment Act, 2010 which was passed by the Legislature on May 20, 2010.
The different amendments of The Tobacco Control Act will come into effect in a staged approach. The first one to come into effect on August 15 is the provision that prohibits all tobacco use in schools and on school grounds.
The proposed date for the second stage is October 1, 2010, and will include the following provisions: prohibiting smoking in vehicles when children under the age of 16 are present; prohibiting smoking in common areas of multi-unit dwellings; and prohibiting smoking within a prescribed distance of doorways, windows and air intakes. Provisions related to retailer signage, the visibility of tobacco and tobacco-related products and the sale of little cigars in packages of less than 20 will also come into effect at this time.
The final stage will occur early in 2011 and will include the provisions that will prohibit the sale of tobacco in pharmacies.
The Ministry of Health is currently working with the Ministry of Justice to make amendments to The Summary Offences and Procedures Regulations which will also support enforcement and establish fines.

The government is improving the Provincial Disaster Assistance Program (PDAP) by lowering the deductible amount and increasing the maximum amount of compensation available to individuals and businesses.
PDAP provides financial assistance for essential, uninsurable property caused by floods, tornadoes, plow winds or severe storms.
Program improvements include:
• Deductible for private claimants reduced from 20 per cent to five per cent;

Our government has roots in rural Saskatchewan. We understand agriculture is the backbone of our communities, which is why are we are taking historic measures in response to the unprecedented flooding producers have experienced this spring and summer. We recently partnered with the federal government to introduce a $360-million Excess Moisture Program (EMP) to help Saskatchewan farmers manage flooded crop land. The EMP, the largest one-time provincial agricultural disaster response in Saskatchewan’s history, provides $30 per eligible acre for both unseeded crop land as of June 20th and seeded crop land flooded out on or before July 31st. In addition to this support, Crop Insurance customers are eligible for an unseeded acreage benefit of up to $50 per eligible acre, and also have coverage for seeded land that has been flooded out.

The rainy weather hasn’t deterred Saskatchewan families from going camping. When you get to the park, you will notice some significant improvements. Our government has added more than a thousand electrified campsites. We are also upgrading or replacing some service centres, boat launches, potable water systems, picnic tables and barbeques.

When you’re outside this summer, remember to protect yourself from mosquitoes. We are now officially in West Nile season. Take simple precautions such as wearing bug spray, covering up, avoiding the outdoors between dusk and dawn, and emptying areas and containers that collect water.

As our government continues working hard throughout the summer months, I am excited to continue in my role as the MLA representing the interest of Moose Jaw North. Premier Brad Wall recently made changes to the provincial cabinet and MLA duties which positions our government to continue a growth agenda. This new cabinet is a strong team that will keep Saskatchewan moving forward and address the challenges of a growing, vibrant province.

As our government takes action to build Saskatchewan for the future, the Opposition NDP continue to impede such positive growth as demonstrated in Moose Jaw Wakamow MLA Deb Higgins’ last column.

Our government has been very open about the financial picture of Saskatchewan and we are controlling spending. The General Revenue Fund (GRF) statements show a balanced budget and a spending reduction of $146.6 million relative to the 2009 -10 budget. Throughout the course of 2009-10, our government constrained spending through a government-wide belt-tightening exercise targeting savings from vacancy management, travel restrictions and other cost-cutting measures. Plus, the 2008 tax cut implemented by the Sask Party Government, removed 80,000 low income earners from the provincial tax rolls and saved Saskatchewan taxpayers $300 million annually. The education property tax reduction introduced in the 2009-10 budget continues as a saving to Moose Jaw property owners.