November 21, 2024 | Advertise with us

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Elections Saskatchewan CEO reflects on election

CEO of Elections Saskatchewan Michael Boda is reflecting on the recent Saskatchewan general election, and thanked citizens for their participation in democracy.

Boda said, “Every action by individual voters is a demonstration of their belief and trust in our system of free and fair elections for all. I want to personally thank everyone who turned out to show their belief in and support for democracy.”

He continued, “What made the six days of Voting Week feel even more special is that we saw an increase in voter turnout. More than 56 percent of eligible voters cast their ballot, a four percent increase from the 2020 election. It represents one step, albeit a small one, in efforts to raise the participation rate in the democratic process.”

Saying that Saskatchewan's democracy is strong and vibrant, Boda concluded, “None of this was possible without the commitment and dedication of around 5,000 people who worked long days during Voting Week. They laboured even longer hours on the final day of voting. After working for 11 hours that day, they then turned their minds to counting votes, often late into the evening and, in a few instances, even the early morning hours. Everyone who took part, whether your friends and neighbours who worked the election itself or the 470,000 who cast their ballots, demonstrated their commitment to their province, each other, and to democracy.”

Boda and Elections Saskatchewan will release a full election report, including financial disclosures from the campaigns, in the coming months. Ahead of the next general election, we will watch to see recommendations from Boda’s office, including the use of voting tabulator machines and the continuation of voting week.

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NDP, new MLA highlight food affordability as scurvy rises in the North

The NDP is raising concern over the high cost of food, specifically in Northern Saskatchewan where cases of scurvy are on the rise.

NDP health critic Vicki Mowat and newly-elected NDP northern affairs critic Jordan McPhail held a press conference in Saskatoon next to a giant photo of a milk jug that cost $18.

Doctors in La Ronge have treated 27 cases of scurvy within the last six months, bringing to light the severe impact of food insecurity in the province’s north. Scurvy is a disease resulting from a lack of vitamin C. Symptoms vary from fatigue and joint pain to hair changes, wounds not healing and loss of teeth.

McPhail said, “We shouldn’t have to be talking about scurvy in 2024 — in Saskatchewan of all places. The Sask. Party government needs to stop piling on the costs and start providing cost-of-living relief, like what the Manitoba government is doing.”

A 2022 Saskatchewan Health Authority report noted the average weekly cost of nutritious food for a family of four was about $291, rising to $358 in the North and $464 in the Far North.

The legislative session begins on Monday, and you can expect affordability and health to be the top issues raised in the legislature.

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Canadian Taxpayers Federation says Sask. Party needs to get back to basics

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation says the Saskatchewan Party government needs to get back to basics.

Prairie Director Gage Haubrich says the party was once focused on low taxes and manageable debt, referencing the party's founding principles.

Haubrich says, “After first being elected in 2007, the government was on track to make good on those beliefs. It balanced its first two budgets and introduced one of Saskatchewan’s largest income tax cuts and debt repayments. And then things started to go off the rails. Since being elected, the Sask Party has overseen 17 budgets and balanced only seven of them. The government has only balanced two budgets in the last 10 years.”

He continues, “All that debt and deficits come from years of the government overspending. The government spent an inflation-adjusted $13.9 billion in 2007, this year it’s spending $20.3 billion. That’s not the “gradual reduction in government spending” the Sask Party says it believes in. The government’s spending spree has gotten so out of control that Saskatchewan is now spending more per person than any other province in Western Canada. That includes the big-spending NDP in B.C.”

Haubrich says the Federation recognizes Premier Scott Moe as an effective advocate against the federal carbon tax, and acknowledged his election campaign promises to reduce costs, but says more needs to be done.

“In four years, taxpayers will go back to the voting booth and give their answer to a simple question: “Is my life better than it was four years ago?” To get a yes, taxes need to be lower. And to lower taxes, Moe needs to get back to his party’s principles of lower spending and lower debt.”

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