It was an honour to host Finance Minister Rod Gantefoer in Moose Jaw this week. On Wednesday, he made a presentation on the provincial budget, discussed our government’s plans for the future and took questions from local residents.

On March 24, 2010, our government announced a third consecutive balanced budget, which was achieved through reduced spending, cautious revenue projections and a commitment to living within our means. The 2010-11 budget is balanced, forward looking and responsible.

• Government spending has been reduced by 1.2 per cent, or $123 million.
• Revenue is forecast at $9.95 billion, with cautious resource revenue projections of $1.1 billion for oil and $221 million from potash.
• The budget also includes $194 million from the Growth and Financial Security Fund, leaving a balance of $510 million in the provincial savings account.
• These measures result in a General Revenue Fund surplus of $20 million.
• Spending is down in 14 different ministries.
• There will be a 64 million saving on interest payments due to our government reducing the provincial debt by $2.6 billion, or approximately 40 per cent, since 2007.
• We have set a goal of reducing the size of the public service by 15 per cent over the next four years, mainly by not replacing people who retire or move on to other opportunities.
• The overall funding for school divisions will increase by $33 million and the Education Property Tax rates will remain at the 2009-10 levels.
• The only tax increases are on beer, spirits and tobacco – an increase of 2.7 cents per cigarette. The tax-free allowance on tobacco for First Nations is also being reduced, from three cartons a week to one carton.

Other budget highlights include:

A week has passed since our government announced a third consecutive balanced budget. Spending is down, the debt will be maintained at $4.1 billion and there’s a surplus. This forward-looking fiscal plan contains the largest-ever health budget in Saskatchewan’s history. The 2010-11 budget is balanced and responsible.

The reviews of the budget have been very positive.

Meyers, Norris, Penny says, “One a scale of one to ten, I’m going to give [the Saskatchewan Party Government] an eight on this budget … it’s a balanced budget … they’re committed to the philosophy that they realize that healthcare spending is required but it must be done responsibly… they’re attempting to minimize growth in tuition fees … there’s something for both the primary school and the post secondary schools in this budget.”

The budget also contains $2.5 million in new funding for autism services. Theres Savaria, with the Autism Care Centre, said, “It's the most exciting day of my life. I have been here for 20 years, and there's a huge recognition of the needs of children and their families, and we're going to provide something that has been needed for a long time.”

One of the initiatives funded by this budget is our plan to improve surgical care. Titled Sooner, Safer, Smarter: A Plan to Transform the Surgical Patient Experience, the plan also calls for:

• 3,000 additional surgeries
• 2,500 additional CT scans
• Renovations to enhance operating rooms and post-operative bed capacity
• Implementation and expansion of an electronic Surgical Information System
• Numerous system improvements initiatives identified in the plan

Our government announced its third consecutive balanced budget today, which was achieved through a combination of reduced spending, caution on revenue projections and a commitment to living within our means.

• Spending has been reduced by 1.2 per cent, or $123 million.
• Revenue is forecast at $9.95 billion, with cautious resource revenue projections of $1.1 billion for oil and $221 million from potash.
• The budget also includes $194 million from the Growth and Financial Security Fund, leaving a balance of $510 million in the provincial savings account.
• These measures result in a General Revenue Fund surplus of $20 million.
• Spending is down in 14 different ministries.
• We will pay less for debt servicing; due to the fact our government has reduced the provincial debt by $2.6 billion, or approximately 40 per cent, since 2007.
• We have set a goal of reducing the size of the public service by 15 per cent over the next four years, mainly by not replacing people who retire or move on to other opportunities.
• What school divisions can collect in education property taxes will be maintained at 2009-2010 levels (i.e. while school taxes won’t go down this year, they also won’t go up). We still intend to make further reductions by the end of our first term.
• The only tax increases are on tobacco – an increase of 2.7 cents per cigarette. The tax-free allowance on tobacco for First Nations is also being reduced, from three cartons a week to one carton.
• Liquor prices will also go up by an average 50 cents for a 750 ml bottle of spirits and 75 cents for one dozen bottled beer.