Sask. 2024-25 budget includes $273.2M projected deficit, no tax cuts or increases
CBC
Saskatchewan's Finance Minister Donna Harpauer delivered her final budget on Wednesday, projecting a $273.2 million deficit for 2024-25.
Harpauer, who has announced she will not seek re-election, said this budget is not exactly the one she was hoping to go out on.
"I would have loved to have ended [with a] budget that was balanced and was able to do a tax reduction. However, it is the budget I am comfortable with," Harpauer said.
She said her caucus colleagues and the premier wanted to prioritize "substantive increases," which she called "the right thing to do right now."
The government branded this budget as "Classrooms, Care, and Communities."
Throughout the budget document, the government boasts of "record" spending in several areas including, health, education and capital projects.
The budget does not include a PST cut or a reduction to provincial gas tax, but also does not add new taxes or increase existing ones.
The government released many of its budget plans — and even spending figures — in the days and weeks before the official document was released.
"This budget addresses the challenges of a growing province by reinvesting the benefits of growth in the areas that matter most to Saskatchewan people — education, health and our communities," Harpauer said.
Harpauer said a projected population of 1.25 million will help "fuel the economy." She said the government is projecting a return to balance by 2025-26, with a projected $18-million surplus for next fiscal year. At this time last year, the government was projecting a $208-million surplus for 2024-25.
Current "taxpayer-supported" debt is $21 billion and "self-supported" debt is $13 billion, bringing the province's total debt to $34 billion.
The government said it is projecting net debt as a per cent of GDP at 14 per cent as of next March, the second lowest among provinces.
Premier Scott Moe said the government would have liked to balance its budget, but committed to spending and capital projects.
"We are putting cash and using debt to continue to build schools, 11 new schools this year. It's the capital plan that continues to put pressure on the budget."
A surgeon who used to work at Flin Flon's hospital says residents in the northwestern Manitoba city have been left in a precarious situation after more than five years without general surgery services.
Moubarak Bokhit Ali's memories of his home country of Sudan are punctuated by flashes of violence.
The man behind the Moose Jaw health centre that has claimed “a 100 per cent success rate in stopping the progression and in restoring function of people with ALS” says a recent CBC story about his company is evidence that he is seen as “a direct threat to the ALS drug industry.”
The Neighbour to Neighbour Centre’s trans and non-binary grocery program, which offers free food and household products to community members once a month, began with a simple question: how do we get free menstrual products to trans people without being awkward?
Bill Van Vugt is living a life that's unlike most other people his age, and one which has seen him turn a longtime hobby into championship gold.
The provincial government is taking steps toward improving Alberta's lucrative sand and gravel industry.
As medical labs across Ontario remain understaffed, one medical association is calling on the province to expand labs’ capacity for student placements by funding positions to train them.
The year wrapping up means it's getting closer to tax season, and the federal Community Volunteer Income Tax Program will once again be offering free filing services for Islanders with modest incomes.
It's not so easy to remove a politician from office between elections in Canada.
Natasha Martin-Mitchell says creating art gives her a sense of calmness that acts as a medicine during stressful times.
Gabriel Vilardi scored twice and star goaltender Connor Hellebuyck made 24 saves in his first game back from injury to power the Jets to a 5-1 victory over the Washington Capitals on Saturday that snapped Winnipeg's three-game losing skid.
Alberta’s auditor general Doug Wylie says his office's budget will be $1.5 million short next fiscal year.
British Columbia has filed a civil claim against e-cigarette giant Juul Labs, alleging the company developed highly addictive nicotine products and fuelled youth nicotine addiction with “deceptive marketing practices.”