REGINA - The Official Opposition raised alarms Thursday over the province recently authorizing $757 million in new spending through special warrants.
“This is wild stuff,” said Opposition Finance Critic Trent Wotherspoon, who said the new spending was quietly posted on the government’s website.
The new spending was authorized through Orders in Council. Wotherspoon has accused the government of a lack of transparency regarding the spending.
“The government didn’t advise the public, the media, or the Opposition of what appears to be a massive overspend, and an increase in the provincial deficit. A government that has already missed the mark on the provincial budget by over $1 billion. This is a huge amount of money without budget or authorization, clarity or transparency on how it’s being spent.”
Wotherspoon called for the immediate release of the third quarter financial report, which he said was the custom before. He noted the Sask. Party had scrapped delivering the third quarter financial report as a stand-alone report a few years ago, delaying its release until the budget release.
“This government has not given people many reasons to accept their spending choices at face value. In fact, they’ve proven all too often that they can’t be trusted with our public finances.”
The province issued this response soon after Wotherspoon's media conference:
“Special Warrants are used when no appropriation for the necessary expenditure exists within the current fiscal year. All Special Warrants are ultimately reviewed by the Legislature at the next available sitting, as Supplementary Estimates.
“Accounting practices set out by the Public Sector Accounting Board require expenditures to be accounted for in the fiscal year in which they occur.
“The Government of Saskatchewan provided a mid-year update on November 27, 2023, and will table third quarter financials on Budget Day, as has been past practice.”
The government also states the $757 million in spending warrants are for the following items:
- $86.321 million for the Ministry of Agriculture
- Towards AgriStability program payments to meet the province's obligations to cost share business risk management programming, in particular AgriStability. The increase is based on the summer forecast prepared by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, and estimates from Crop Insurance.
- $8.968 million for the Ministry of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety
- For pressures due to staffing and overtime costs from operating correctional facilities, services and programs.
- $94.5 million for the Ministry of Energy and Resources
- For continued clean-up of abandoned northern uranium mine sites of Gunnar, Lorado and associated satellite sites.
- $20.285 million for the Ministry of Environment
- For increase in contaminated sites liabilities due to a new cost estimate related to the design remediation work and to monitor and maintain the Anglo-Rouyn mine site.
- $17.688 million for the Ministry of Government Relations
- For First Nation Gaming Agreements and the Métis Development Fund due to higher-than-budgeted casino profits forecasted in Q3.
- $450.1 million for the Ministry of Health
- Appropriation for operating pressures at Saskatchewan Health Authority and the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency, the contract agreement with the Saskatchewan Medical Association, and higher-than-budgeted fee-for-service and out-of-province utilization.
- Some of the expenditures include:
- $154.2 million for a new four-year contract between the Government of Saskatchewan and the Saskatchewan Medical Association.
- $132 million for human resource compensation pressures including funding for the Saskatoon and Regina Capacity Pressure Action Plans.
- $73.6 million for medical and surgical supplies due to higher patient volumes, inflation and increased volume of surgical procedures.
- $22 million for the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency, primarily for drug expenditures due to higher-than-expected utilization and new oncology drugs.
- $20 million dollars for the Family Physician Stabilization Program to support family doctors who provide primary care services in clinic settings that provide in-person patient visits.
- $23.4 million for the Ministry of Highways
- Due to higher-than-budgeted activities in Winter Maintenance.
- $1.664 million for the Ministry of Justice and Attorney General
- Towards the Legal Aid Commission due to the negotiated settlement on its collective bargaining agreement, increased private bar costs due to referrals, and escalated operational expenses; and the Saskatchewan Coroners Service due to operating pressures resulting from the increases in investigations and inquests.
- $1.824 million for the Ministry of Parks, Culture and Sport
- For funding community-based programs and projects through the Community Initiatives Fund due to SaskGaming Casino profit forecasts being adjusted to reflect the projection of revenue to the end of the fiscal year.
- $5 million for the Saskatchewan Research Council
- Towards the eVinci micro-Small Modular Reactor project.
- $8.995 million for the Ministry of SaskBuilds and Procurement
- For contaminated site liabilities, recording a transfer of assets to a municipality, and for IT capital asset acquisitions.
- $22.750 million for the Ministry of Social Services
- Towards utilization pressures related to intensive third-party residential services required for the care of children and youth in the ministry's care, and utilization pressures related to the Autism Spectrum Disorder Individualized Funding program.
