Moment with the Mayor: Growth and Infrastructure

Hi Everyone:

The Provincial Government is proud of the growth it has been overseeing since it took power. They have been good stewards, and lucky as well, just as we have been. During the last day of the fall legislative session, Premier Wall issued a press release regarding growth. Here are parts of it and my response:

“Saskatchewan has grown by more than 100,000 people in just six years,” Wall said.  “That creates many new opportunities and it also creates many new challenges.  Our government is working hard to meet the challenges of a growing province.”

Premier Wall said two of the biggest challenges are building infrastructure and addressing the labour shortage.

“Over the past six years, our government has more than doubled investment in infrastructure projects like hospitals, schools and highways,” Wall said.  “Still, there is more to be done and we have to look for ways to ensure taxpayers’ dollars are going further by exploring new and innovative approaches to building these kinds of projects.”

The Provincial Government has been doing a good job on a lot of different fronts in facilitating the expansion and diversification of the province's economy. They have been given some good opportunities in which to govern and have been optimizing those opportunities. However, I am concerned that, as the Federal Government is ensuring steady funding for municipal infrastructure over the next ten years, the Province has been silent on this issue.

As the Province focuses on growth in areas like labour, hospitals, schools, and highways, I encourage them to remember that those new and expanded hospitals and schools, the new workers who are also new residents, and the highways which transport our people, our goods, and our services, are located in municipalities - municipalities that lie outside the orbit of Saskatoon and Regina; municipalities that also need infrastructure such as new and expanded water and sanitation treatment plants, new and expanded landfill sites, and new and expanded facilities to invest in the new people in Saskatchewan and, of course, affordable housing.

In the end, what I am asking the Province to do is to diversify their investment. Hospitals, schools, and highways are sexy, but can we grow if we don't have affordable housing, water to drink, and toilets that flush?

Please write or phone if you would like me to discuss a particular topic. If you have any questions or comments, drop me a line at the town office or email me at mayorenns-wind@kindersley.ca. You can also check out my blog at http://mayorjohn.blogspot.ca/. I appreciate your feedback.