Lise, a mother with two kids who works at a college, and her brother Dan, a lawyer, compare how the 2017 provincial budget has affected them in the last year.
Saskatchewan budget misses opportunity on rental housing assistance
This budget was a major fail for housing affordability in Saskatchewan. In the recent Saskatchewan budget, the Moe government made the surprise announcement that it would slowly phase out a rental housing assistance program known as the Saskatchewan Rental Housing Supplement. Given current rental housing market realities, the government ought to have done the complete …
Ten things to know about the 2018 Saskatchewan budget
On April 10, the Saskatchewan government tabled its 2018-19 budget. Here are 10 things to know: This year’s budget was quite status quo. Provincial expenses for the upcoming fiscal year are forecast at $14.6 billion, while total spending on health will see a 2.5% increase. Revenue forecast for 2018-19 is $14.2 billion. No major tax changes were …
Winds of Change: Saskatchewan’s attitudes on Energy, Environment and Oil
As the second largest oil-producer in the country and home to a government that has vigorously promoted the oil industry and firmly opposed carbon pricing, one might assume that the Saskatchewan public is relatively united in their support for fossil fuel extraction. Winds of Change: Public Opinion on Energy Politics in Saskatchewan by Andrea Olive, Emily Eaton …
Budget 2018: On Track or Wrong Track?
For those that feared that the Saskatchewan government would continue the punishing austerity they laid out in 2017, this year’s budget came as a mild relief. While the 2018 budget doesn’t restore the cuts made last year, the government appears to have opted for holding the line – offering no major tax increases while avoiding …
Why We Need An Act to Eliminate Poverty in Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a wealthy province with a poverty problem. More than one-in-ten people live in poverty and our child poverty rate is above the national average. Dig into the data and you find that some populations disproportionately bear the brunt of poverty in Saskatchewan. Single parent families, new Canadians, persons with disabilities and Indigenous …
An Act to Eliminate Poverty in Saskatchewan
Preamble Whereas poverty is not a natural phenomenon, but a consequence of political and structural forces over which governments have considerable influence; Whereas poverty is an impediment to realizing the full economic, social, and personal health of Saskatchewan’s peoples; Whereas living in poverty is particularly harmful to the health and development of children, and entails …
Budgets Are About Choices
The Saskatchewan government promised “transformational change”… Instead we got a mean-spirited austerity budget that requires sacrifices from the many and delivers benefits to the few. It doesn’t have to be this way. For a government that prides itself on making “tough choices” this doesn’t seem that tough.
Anti-Austerity Activist John Clarke: Fighting Back
John Clarke speaks on Saskatchewan’s austerity budget and how to fight back. As an organizer with the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP), John Clarke has been involved in poor people’s movements for over 25 years. He first became active in anti-poverty struggles in 1983, when he helped form the Union of Unemployed Workers in London, …
Saskatchewan Speaks: Policy Recommendations for Transformational Change
In December, SaskForward began an online public consultation process that asked people across the province to answer the question, “What ‘transformational change’ would you introduce to make Saskatchewan a happier, healthier, and more prosperous place for all?” After receiving over one hundred submissions from individuals and organizations and hosting a policy summit and discussion with over …