Politics with Murray Mandryk
Page 14 - FeBrUarY 23 , 2017 - martensville messenger
Provincial
Politics with Murray Mandryk
Sask is Seeing Some Good News
We have had some very good news as of late . Some of this good news has to do with the numbers that are us , and some of it has to do with the numbers that mean the most to us . The numbers that are us are the 2016 Census numbers . During the Saskatchewan economy ’ s bad three-year run of declining resource revenue , there has been plenty of bad news over time .
Consider January ’ s employment numbers that show that there were 4,800 less people working in Saskatchewan in comparison to a year prior , which has clearly become an unfortunate trend for the province . At the same time , we are seeing a newer and arguably more unfortunate trend . When at one point Saskatchewan ’ s unemployed used to simply move westward to Alberta to find work , the downturn in the oil patch means that this province has been hit equally as hard . As a result , Saskatchewan unemployment keeps increasing .
Added to the bad economic news is even worse budget news ; the $ 1.2-billion deficit for 2016-17 that Premier Brad Wall announced at the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association convention . Because of which , we are now talking about job and / or wage cuts and tax increases . However , within the flood of bad numbers ,
MLA Report From Nancy Heppner
saskatchewan Population growth second in Canada
Saskatchewan cities , towns , villages and RMs continue to grow , according to the new Census population count by Statistics Canada . Saskatchewan ’ s 6.3 % growth rate ( 2011-2016 ) was second-highest among the provinces with Saskatoon and Regina among the fastest-growing cities in Canada .
All 16 Saskatchewan cities saw their populations increase by a total of 9.9 %. Saskatchewan towns saw their populations increase by 2.7 % while Saskatchewan villages saw their populations increase slightly by 0.5 %. Rural municipalities saw their total populations increase by 1.1 %.
Someone once said that it would be impossible to grow our population by 100,000 people in 10 years . In that time , I ’ m proud to say that our province has grown by 130,000 .
Diversified Food Production Key to Growth
emerged some rather good ones .
The 2016 Census numbers that show Saskatchewan grew by 64,971 people from 2011 to 2016 was our good news . Admittedly these numbers are better for some than others . The majority of growth ( 91 per cent ) occurred in the province ’ s 16 cities that increased by 59,189 or 9.9 per cent . The population of Regina increased by 11.8 percent and Saskatoon ’ s population increased by 12.5 percent . The Statistics Canada numbers are less kind to Saskatchewan ’ s towns that grew by 3,939 people or 2.7 per cent and villages that only increased by 258 people or . 05 per cent . Rural municipalities fared slightly better , increasing by 1,934 people or 1.1 per cent . However , population growth always needs to be put in perspective . Between 1996 and 2001 , and 2001 to 2006 , Saskatchewan lost 1.1 percent of its population in each of these fiveyear census periods , respectively . For whatever other criticism can now be directed at Wall , the 6.7 per cent population increase ( between 2006 and 2011 ) and the 6.3 per cent growth ( between 2011 and 2016 ) represent the biggest boom this province has seen in 90 years . Moreover , it surpasses the Saskatchewan Party ’ s commitment in the 2007 campaign to grow the province by 100,000 people in a decade .
Of course , with the all the uncertainty in today ’ s world , celebrating such victories has been a little tough for the Wall government as of late . That being said , the Saskatchewan Premier and the entire province seemed to get some rather positive news out of last week ’ s meeting between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U . S . President Donald Trump . There were no majority announcements , only hints from Trump that his problem with the North American Free Trade Agreement ( NAFTA ) is with Mexico ( although he did say the Canadian portion of the deal might require “ tweaking ”). The good news is about preserving already existing numbers .
Saskatchewan ’ s economy is now stronger , more durable and more diversified than ever . Our growing strength in value-added food processing is one example . No longer just a primary producer of grains , oilseeds and other resources , companies are adding value to what we grow .
There are now more than 300 food companies operating in the province that generate more than $ 4 billion in revenues and employ about 5,000 people . Saskatchewan exports have doubled in the last decade in part because of the success of these companies operating across the province .
Saskatchewan ingredients are increasingly finding favour with consumers around the world . Saskatchewan flax , for example , is used in the cookies sold at Shanghai Disneyland while oats grown in Saskatchewan are a key ingredient in the Cheerios many of us eat for breakfast .
A Saskatchewan company supplies hot dogs to Safeco Field , home of the Seattle Mariners – and there ’ s a good chance the mustard on those hot dogs is made with Saskatchewan mustard seed .
Meanwhile , Saskatchewan lentils and peas are used in Indian kitchens every day . 90 % of India ’ s lentil imports , and more than 60 % of its pea imports , are grown by Saskatchewan farmers .
Our government will strive to ensure our food processors benefit from a welcoming business environment with competitive taxes and sensible regulations . We will also work internationally to raise awareness of what we have to offer and to protect and enhance access to markets .
Letter to the Editor
The Martensville Messenger welcomes letters to the editor for publication . Letters must be signed and a phone number and / or email address included so the writer ’ s identity can be verified . ALL letters are the opinion of the writer and NOT the Martensville Messenger . We reserve the right to edit letters for length , clarity or compliance with the current standards of public taste . Submit your letter to ssealey @ martensvillemessenger . ca or jottenbreit @ martensvillemessenger . ca or drop by the Martensville Messenger office at Bay # 7 - 301 Centennial Drive North .
Justin Trudeau lands trade deal with unstable EU
Saskatchewan ’ s exports to the United States alone are as follows : 2012 , $ 20 billion ; 2013 , $ 21 billion ; 2014 , $ 21 billion ; 2015 , $ 18 billion , and ; 2016 ( estimated ) $ 13 billion . Compare that with Saskatchewan ’ s total exports to all countries ( including the U . S ): 2012 , $ 32 billion ; 2013 , $ 32 billion ; 2014 , $ 35 billion ; 2015 , $ 33 billion , and : 2016 ( estimated ), $ 26 billion . In addition , consider the commodities that poured out of rural Saskatchewan into the U . S . in 2016 : crude oil , $ 5 billion ; potash , $ 2 billion ; canola oil , meal and seeds , $ 2 billion ; wheat , $ 260 million , cattle , $ 251 million ; lentils , $ 127 million , and ; agricultural machinery , $ 97 million .
At least for now , it appears trade is less threatened by tariffs . Hopefully , this good news will continue .
CUPE Saskatchewan : Public Sector Workers Deserve Better From This Government
The Saskatchewan government ’ s latest scheme to force workers to take unpaid days off to balance the books illustrates a complete lack of respect for working people .
“ The provincial government ’ s latest attack on workers ’ income will do little to balance the budget , but will hurt the working people of this province , and the people who depend on the public services we provide ,” said Tom Graham , president of CUPE Saskatchewan . “ Cuts to working people ’ s wages are just going to mean less spending money in the pockets of Saskatchewan families and won ’ t actually help the economy recover .”
One unpaid day off per month equates to a five per cent wage roll back for working people . This tops a long list of wage freezes , other roll backs and threats of layoffs and cuts in health care , education and social services that the government has already threatened .
“ We have a revenue problem today because of this government ’ s reckless spending ,” said Graham . “ They have sold off or given away sources of revenue , buried us in expensive P3 and lean contracts , and now the only solution they have for a situation they created is to punish frontline workers .”
Close to 40,000 public sector employees in Saskatchewan , including 24,000 CUPE members , have collective agreements that have expired or soon-to-be-expired .
“ This government seems determined to create an atmosphere of uncertainty and fear for public sector workers by musing about significant layoffs , cuts and rollbacks in the media ,” said Graham . “ CUPE will continue to
stand up for our members and the public services we provide with every tool we can , including legal mechanisms .”
CUPE is the largest union in the province and represents 30,000 workers in health care , education , municipalities , socialservices and community based organizations throughout the province .