North Battleford city manager Jim Puffalt has been hired to be the new city manager in Moose Jaw, but will he be looking forward to the job after he finds out about a recent Question Period exchange on the city’s fiscal issues.
Opposition leader Ryan Meili, who is himself a former Moose Jaw resident, questioned Premier Scott Moe about the city’s shortfall in the wake of last year’s provincial budget.
Moose Jaw is not alone in its struggles: several Saskatchewan cities had to deal with the fallout from the provincial budget last year. North Battleford had to revise its own budget in the wake of the cuts that came down last spring, due to the loss of revenues from payments in lieu.
The exchange between Meili and Moe, as recorded in Hansard, took place March 27 in the legislature.
Mr. Meili: — Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We’ll head a little further west to my hometown of Moose Jaw where they just saw their sewer rates go up by 6 per cent, the water rate go up by 9 per cent, and a two-year increase of over 12 per cent in their property taxes — a direct result, according to Mayor Fraser Tolmie, of cuts in the 2017 provincial budget.
This shortfall is keeping them from making desperately needed investments in capital expenses, Mr. Speaker, with further tax increases expected next year because of the continuing consequences of this shortfall. Moose Jaw’s motto is Surprisingly Unexpected, Mr. Speaker, but I don’t think being blind sided by ill-considered cuts was quite the surprise that they were thinking of.
My question for the Premier and the two members from Moose Jaw: Mr. Speaker, is anyone willing to stand up for the friendly city and make sure that there are no more nasty surprises in this year’s budget? And will we continue to see costs downloaded to Saskatchewan’s hometowns?
The Speaker: — I recognize the Premier.
Hon. Mr. Moe: — Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Government Relations was kind enough to hand me two sheets of investments that we’ve made in Moose Jaw and the surrounding area, Mr. Speaker, over the last number of years. Mr. Speaker, but I have met with the mayor of Moose Jaw, most recently a few months ago, Mr. Speaker, and talked to him with respect to the challenges that they have as a community but also, Mr. Speaker, in recognizing the investment that has came from the provincial government, associated or affiliated or partnered with the federal government and the municipality of Moose Jaw, Mr. Speaker, to ensure that that community can be open for business and moving forward. And that’s most notably, Mr. Speaker, with some of the businesses that have moved into that particular area.
But, Mr. Speaker, since the members opposite were on this side of the House, revenue sharing in the city of Moose Jaw is up some 126 per cent — 126 per cent. That’s the revenue-sharing formula that was asked for each and every year at SARM [Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities]. It was asked for each and every year at SUMA [Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association].
Mr. Speaker, and it was those members that said yes, we’ll always do it, but they never did quite get to it, Mr. Speaker, just like every other . . . many other investments in the province of Saskatchewan, Mr. Speaker. What we hear, Mr. Speaker, from the members opposite is weak leadership, Mr. Speaker. Talk about the projects like the hospital in Humboldt and infrastructure projects across this province, Mr. Speaker, never delivered, never built those projects, Mr. Speaker. It’s members on this side of the House that continue to invest in our communities, including the one in Moose Jaw.
