ESTEVAN - The Canadian Taxpayers Federation released a new report Thursday that shows and compares per-capita spending by Saskatchewan municipalities.
The document includes audited financial statements for Saskatchewan municipalities. The CTF noted the provincial government has not published municipal financial statements after years of promises.
“Taxpayers pay the bills and we deserve to know how municipal politicians spend our money,” said CTF Prairie director Gage Haubrich. “Publishing financial statements for municipalities should be Transparency 101.”
According to the document, Estevan was fourth among Saskatchewan small cities in per-capita spending for 2021. Total expenses came in at $31.16 million, or $2,932 per capita using the census figure of 10,629 residents.
Swift Current, by comparison, was first with per capita spending of $3,741 for its population of 16,750. Yorkton and North Battleford were also ahead of Estevan.
For Saskatchewan’s two largest cities, Saskatoon spent $3,161 per person in 2021, compared to $2,761 for Regina.
The CTF notes municipalities are required by law to send their financial statements to the provincial government. The federation says in 2008, the government of Saskatchewan stopped publishing these statements online. In 2019, the CTF said the provincial government expected to have a new system in place by 2021, but it hasn’t happened.
Provincial governments in Alberta and Ontario have web portals where taxpayers can access municipal financial statements, the CTF said.
“The provincial government said it would help shine a light on municipal spending, but it hasn’t followed through,” Haubrich said. “Other provinces make it easy for taxpayers to access this basic information. It’s time for the Saskatchewan government to deliver on transparency.”
The CTF claims it had to use freedom of information requests to obtain the financial statements for all 767 municipalities in 2020 and for 96 per cent of municipalities in 2021.
