The provincial constituency of Cannington has, like many other regions of Saskatchewan, see unprecedented growth over the past few years.
Not surprisingly, there can be occasional growth-pains, as well as successes. In an effort to understand how the province has helped the Cannington Constituency over the past year, Saskatchewan Party MLA Dan D'Autremont was asked a series of questions about the governments activities, and how these would impact the region.
The questions, as well as the answers, are presented here un-edited.
What is the (expected) impact these pieces of legislation on the Cannington Constituency?
All the pieces of legislation are important or else they would not have been introduced. Those that were of particular importance for me were the changes to the Rural Municipality Act, the Cities Act and the Northern Act as well as changes made to environmental management and assessment and wildlife habitat assessment.
What new or altered policy directions do you feel will have a good impact on the Cannington Constituency?
All of these pieces of legislation will have a positive impact in that they support continued growth in the economy and population of both the Cannington constituency and Saskatchewan. One of the most important things we've done is not change policy as it relates to resource royalties. We've seen what that has done in other jurisdictions, particularly in regards to oil and gas royalties. That decision is reflected in the large number of oil wells across the constituency, the health of the local business community and the influx of people, resulting in new homes and businesses.
Where there any major provincial infrastructure initiatives that will be touching the citizens of this constituency? If so, what are they?
There are many but of particular significance are the new elementary and high school in Oxbow, the announcement and anticipated start of construction this spring of the much-needed and long-overdue long term care centre in Redvers, highway upgrade projects affecting several of our important transportation corridors such as Highways 9, 8, 13, 18, 48 and 47. There are some highway projects that still have a ways to go, such as 318, 361 and 47 north of Stoughton, but they are incorporated into a our government's five year highway strategy and will be addressed in due course. Many communities have seen significant infrastructure improvements such as water projects in Carlyle, Manor and Maryfield. We are supporting rinks in Oxbow, Manor and a number of others.
Are there any changes legislatively, policy-wise, or other that you feel particularly happy with?
The decision not to change oil royalties and changes to municipal legislation which allows communities greater control over their own destinies.
What do you feel were the greatest challenges facing the provincial government over the preceding year?
There was obviously the issue of finally dealing with education property taxes that far exceeded other provinces - we promised to address this, and kept that promise. Potash was another significant challenge, but, at the direction of Saskatchewan people, Premier Brad Wall said no to the BHP Billiton hostile takeover bid for PCS and we won that fight. Continued activity in the potash sector, including BHP's decision to proceed with the construction of a new mine in Jansen and expressions of interests by several major international mining companies reflect our position that when there are special circumstances you can protect your strategic resources but still be open for business. There was the record flooding this summer, which our government acted swiftly and decisively to deal by getting immediate aid to those hardest hit. We then made changes to, and continue to review, the Provincial Disaster Assistance Program, to ensure it best meets the need of Saskatchewan people. And just the other day Premier Brad Wall announced that we were already looking forward to what looks to be a very wet spring and how we can get out front of potential flooding problems through investing in berms and other measures.
Do you expect any big changes in the coming year?
Looking ahead to the spring session of the Legislature, we will continue to keep the few outstanding campaign promises we have left, including increasing municipal revenue sharing to the equivalent of a full percentage point of the PST and implementing the next phase of our strategy to change education property tax.
What do you see as the biggest issue facing the Cannington Constituency (within the provincial sphere of course)?
The challenges of growth - which is a good problem to have.
Were there any policy directions or pieces of legislation you supported or championed over the previous year, and if so what were they?
I supported the significant initiatives undertaken to recruit and train more doctors. There are more training seats for medical students. We met and exceeded our promise to hire 800 more nurses. We announced a pilot project that expands the residency program for physicians to centres outside Saskatoon and Regina. Other legislation I was supportive of included the introduction of four-year terms for municipal politicians, which aids them in their long-term planning, changes to municipal legislation that lets towns, cities and RMs deal with more of their own issues, planning boards in larger communities which strengthen the relationship between rural and urban. The changes to the Animal Protection Act were significant - we've already seen examples of the positive impact of this, such as the situation in Rosetown at an unlicenced animal shelter.
Will you be supporting or championing any policy or legislative projects in the new year?
I will continue to work hard to ensure we continue to invest in infrastructure such as highways and healthcare. In Cannington, health is a significant issue. We , as many other communities, face challenges around doctor recruitment and long-term care. Doctor recruitment has been significant in the Arcola, Carylye and Redver areas and, through initiatives like the Physician Recruitment Strategy, these efforts will continue.
