|
CHRISTINE
TELL MLA – Provincial Update – February 20, 2009
Christine
Tell MLA invites you to visit her constituency office at 2318B Assiniboine
Ave.
I
hope that everyone is braving our Saskatchewan winter. At
the legislature we are continuing with the budget preparation process and
are getting ready for the spring sitting in March. Following are some of the programs recently announced by the government recently. PROVINCE
INJECTS $142 MILLION INTO SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT THE PROVINCE – BALFOUR
COLLEGIATE WILL HAVE ROOF REPAIRED 102
Saskatchewan schools in 63 communities will benefit from a $142 million
infrastructure boost announced by Education Minister Ken Krawetz.
Improvements include everything from maintenance and repairs, to brand new
schools. "In
total, these schools educate over 35,000 students throughout the
province," said Krawetz at Regina's Balfour Collegiate, which will
benefit from significant roof repairs. Saskatchewan
School Board Association (SSBA) President Roy Challis welcomed the news. "To
put the magnitude of this announcement into perspective, over the past
seven years $259.8 million in total has been committed to school capital
in our province," said Challis. "The additional $142 million
announced today, along with the $117 million already announced for
education capital for this year, adds up to a $259 million commitment to
school capital in this year alone."
Christine
congratulates Volunteer
hockey coach Caleb Taylor of Regina who has been selected as one of the first
Olympic torchbearers for the 2010 Vancouver Games.
Province
Stimulates Economy to Keep it Strong Premier
Brad Wall, earlier this month announced that his government will speed up
$500 million worth of infrastructure spending to ensure Saskatchewan's
economy remains strong. Last
October, Wall announced that the province would spend $1.5 billion in the
2009-10 budget as part of its Ready for Growth infrastructure initiative. On
Monday, the Premier said $500 million of that spending is being moved up to
the current fiscal year to get projects underway more quickly and give
Saskatchewan an "economic booster shot" in light of the global
economic slowdown. $131.6
million in provincial funding will be provided for municipal infrastructure
projects throughout the province. $100 million in new funding will be
delivered on a per capita basis to urban, rural and northern municipalities
through a new Municipal Economic Enhancement Program. $31.6
million in additional funding is being provided for new projects under the
federal-provincial Building Canada Fund. Wall said he expects further
announcements about specific Building Canada Fund projects to be made
shortly. Wall
said he wanted to start with municipal projects because municipalities have
serious infrastructure needs and are best able to get projects underway
quickly. Significant
Reduction in Taxes and Debt In
October, Premier Brad Wall announced: ·
the
largest single-year income tax reduction in Saskatchewan history;·
the
largest amount of debt reduction in Saskatchewan history; Lower
taxes will come in the form of increased personal exemptions - the amount of
money a person can earn before starting to pay income tax. “A
working family with two children can now earn up to $41,300 before they
start to pay any provincial income tax,” Wall said. “That’s the
highest level of any province and it’s one more reason Saskatchewan is the
best place in Canada to earn a living and build a life.
Christine
distributes snacks at Pilot Butte School during their snack day.
Province
provides $10 million for Regina’s Global Transportation Hub The
final announcement of the $500 million "economic booster shot" was
of more than $17 million for six significant transportation infrastructure
projects. $10 million of that will go to provide infrastructure for Regina’s
Global Transportation Hub. "Development
of the Global Transportation Hub will provide our businesses and export
markets with efficient, state-of-the art links to Canadian and international
markets," said Highways and Infrastructure Minister Wayne Elhard.
"With nearly 70 per cent of our economy driven by exports, this will
make Saskatchewan more competitive and Regina a more attractive place to
invest." Regina
Mayor Pat Fiacco described the $10 million for the Global Transportation Hub
as a "huge help." "It’s
about a $50 million cost as we move forward on infrastructure, but this
certainly makes a big difference right off the bat so that we can get
started and get additional development out there," Fiacco said SaskEnergy Requests Commodity Rate Decrease: Overall
Bill Impact Of 19 Per Cent SaskEnergy
has applied to the Saskatchewan Rate Review Panel (SRRP) for a commodity
rate decrease, effective April 1, 2009. The proposed commodity rate would be
$6.23 per Gigajoule (GJ), compared to SaskEnergy’s existing rate of $8.51/GJ,
which was implemented October 1, 2008. If approved, this 27 per cent
commodity rate decrease would result in result in savings of approximately
$20 per month or $240 annually for the average customer. Student
Jobs Available In the Saskatchewan Public Service With
over 400 student jobs available during the summer, the public service is one
of the largest employers of students in the province. Positions are
available across the province, and throughout Government of Saskatchewan
ministries. Employment is available with the Ministry of Highways, the
Ministry of Environment, and the Ministry of Tourism, Parks, Culture and
Sport to name just a few. Apply
online through the Career Centre at www.careers.gov.sk.ca/studentjobs
http://www.careers.gov.sk.ca/studentjobs>.
Random referrals then match jobs to student interests, including location,
availability and qualifications. The randomly-generated student names are
forwarded to ministries for assessment and hiring. Students
can also be rehired from the previous year, provided they go back to similar
jobs. This allows them to increase their experience and build networks,
which may help them compete for future public service jobs. The
majority of student hiring takes place in late March and throughout April,
and most students are hired to work from May to August. However, there are
also opportunities available throughout the year, including co-op work
terms, student jobs and internships. Previously, summer opportunities in the public service have included jobs in research, geology, administration, park and highway maintenance and social services. SUNDAY
HUNTING COMING TO SASKATCHEWAN When
Saskatchewan people said they wanted Sunday hunting, our government listened
and took action. Effective for the 2009 hunting season, Sunday
hunting will open in Saskatchewan for all game species, bringing our
province in line with most other North American jurisdictions. By
implementing Sunday hunting, your Saskatchewan Party government is also
taking steps to strengthen the rural economy, increase recreational hunting
opportunities and promote tourism.
Christine sees off Saskatchewan Special Olympic athletes on their way to Special Olympics World Winter Games held in Boise, Idaho in mid February. _______________________________________________________________________________ Staying
in Touch I
appreciate the many opportunities to make a positive difference in our
constituency. Your phone calls, letters and emails make a big difference in
keeping me informed on the issues that matter to you. If
you would like to recognize anyone or have your event mentioned in this
newsletter, please don’t hesitate to contact me. _______________________________________________________________________________ This
newsletter is produced with the assistance of the Saskatchewan Party Caucus
Office. |
||
 |
 |
|
