The government of Saskatchewan is currently undertaking a controversial overhaul of the province’s labour legislation into the mammoth omnibus Bill 85. But those that might be concerned about the rather rash decision to overturn 107 years of labour legislation in the period of a few months need not worry, because what the Saskatchewan government is actually doing is modernizing our labour laws. That’s a relief, “modernizing” has such a new shiny ring to it! Who could be against “modernizing” anything? This legislation must really be cutting edge stuff, thinking outside-the-box, labour legislation 2.0 and all that! So what innovative and pioneering changes are in this legal basket of advanced modernity?
Entries Tagged as 'Saskatchewan'
On the Abuse of Language: “Modernizing” Labour Relations
May 13th, 2013 · Simon Enoch · Employment and Labour, Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan 2013 Budget: Balanced Growth or Fiscal Myopia?
March 20th, 2013 · Simon Enoch · Saskatchewan
While Finance Minister Ken Krawetz characterized today’s provincial budget as an example of “balanced growth,” and NDP Finance critic Trent Wotherspoon likened it to a “credit card budget,” perhaps the best metaphor to explain today’s fiscal decisions would be “paradox of plenty.”
What the hell is that you say? Well, the “paradox of plenty” or “resource curse” has usually been used to describe our petroleum-endowed neighbor to the west, but today’s budget – while seemingly pedestrian – should force us to ask ourselves if we are not suffering under the same fiscal delusions as our Alberta cousins.
A Tale of Two Telecoms or Actions Speak Louder than Words
January 25th, 2013 · Simon Enoch · Economy & Economic Indicators, Saskatchewan
Where does the Saskatchewan government stand on the privatization of provincial Crown corporations? You’d be hard pressed to come up with a definitive answer after the government’s partial privatization of Information Services Corporation (ISC), the introduction of new private liquor stores and Premier Wall’s end-of-year comments that privatization deserves a “rational, pragmatic and non-ideological” public debate. That this rash of privatization is occurring all while the government is supposedly bound by it’s support for The Crown Corporations Public Ownership Act, which is intended to preserve “public ownership of our major crown corporations” is even more surreal. When does a government’s actions begin to speak louder than its words? Despite the government’s rhetorical commitment to the Crowns, it certainly seems like privatization is on the agenda, and not only on ‘the margins.” As Leader-Post columnist Murray Mandryk insightfully observes regarding Premier Wall’s recent call for a public debate on crown privatization:
No CommentsTags: crown corporations·privatization·Saskatchewan·SaskTel
Raising Saskatchewan’s Minimum Wage
August 29th, 2012 · Erin Weir · Employment and Labour, Media
Saskatchewan Federation of Labour president Larry Hubich and I have the following joint op-ed in today’s Regina Leader-Post (page A10).
It’s been fourteen years since I first wrote into The Leader-Post advocating a minimum-wage increase.
UPDATE (August 31): The op-ed also appeared in today’s Saskatoon StarPhoenix (page A11), Wednesday’s Estevan Mercury (page A7) and Swift Current’s Southwest Booster.
Why higher wages make economic sense
Recent Saskatchewan government news releases trumpet record numbers for wholesale trade, building permits and exports. But as Labour Day approaches, we should consider that many Saskatchewan workers do not share in the prosperity they create.
No Vale on the Plains?
August 19th, 2012 · Erin Weir · Economy & Economic Indicators, Employment and Labour, Media
I had the following comments in yesterday’s front-page story on Vale’s decision to postpone its proposed $3-billion potash mine at Kronau, Saskatchewan:
Regina economist Erin Weir, who is widely expected to run for the leadership of the provincial NDP, said in a statement Friday that the Vale announcement “represents a failure of the Saskatchewan government’s approach of almost giving away the resource to encourage companies to dig it out of the ground as quickly as possible.”
“The silver lining is that Vale will not increase potash supply as quickly as expected. A tighter potash market likely means higher potash prices and even larger profits for existing producers,” he said.
No CommentsTags: Employment and Labour·natural resources·Saskatchewan
Agrium Halves Potash Royalties
August 3rd, 2012 · Erin Weir · Economy & Economic Indicators
Agrium reports that it paid half as much to the people of Saskatchewan in the second quarter as it had in the same quarter of last year. The company’s quarterly “potash profit and capital tax” payment dropped to $8 million from $15 million a year ago.
Agrium’s only potash mine is in Saskatchewan. The value of its potash sales has barely changed: $246 million in the second quarter compared to $259 million a year ago. As a percentage of sales, “potash profit and capital tax” fell to just 3% from 6%.
No CommentsTags: Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan’s Rising Cost of Living
July 20th, 2012 · Erin Weir · Economy & Economic Indicators
Today’s Consumer Price Index provides further evidence of Saskatchewan’s rising cost of living. Among the provinces, Saskatchewan is tied for the second-highest annual inflation rate: 2.0%.
Consumer prices decreased in June from May in nine provinces (all except Alberta). But Saskatchewan was tied for the smallest monthly price decline: -0.3%.
Compared to the rest of Canada, Saskatchewan residents experienced nearly the largest increase in the cost of living over the past year and received a relatively small break last month.
Mosaic Profit Argues for Higher Royalties
July 17th, 2012 · Erin Weir · Economy & Economic Indicators
Today’s Mosaic quarterly report provides further evidence that the Government of Saskatchewan should improve its royalty and tax structure to collect a better return on the province’s non-renewable resources like potash.
Quarterly Comparison
Despite higher potash prices, Mosaic paid lower royalties and resource taxes to Saskatchewan last quarter than in the same quarter of last year. In the three months ended May 31, 2012, Mosaic paid $100 million in provincial resource charges from over a billion dollars ($1,037 million) of potash sales.
No CommentsTags: Saskatchewan
The Oil Industry’s Own Numbers Make the Case for Higher Royalties
May 30th, 2012 · Erin Weir · Economy & Economic Indicators, Media
Saskatchewan’s Minister of Energy and Resources replied to my op-ed and letter on Dutch disease and resource royalties. On Friday, he was promoted to Minister of Everything.
Columnist Murray Mandryk wrote, “Given the amount of power Bill Boyd now has in his super-economy portfolio, he may be one fluffy Persian cat and remote desert island shy of becoming the political equivalent of a James Bond villain.” Does that make the target of his letters the political equivalent of James Bond?
Monday’s Regina Leader-Post featured the interprovincial man of mystery’s response:
Case for Royalty Hikes
No CommentsTags: Economy & Economic Indicators·Media·Saskatchewan
Duel of the Saskatchewan Expatriates
May 22nd, 2012 · Erin Weir · Economy & Economic Indicators, Media, Taxes and Tax Cuts
Last week, I had the following letter in The Globe and Mail:
Oil sands royalties
The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers’ most recent Statistical Handbook indicates that, in 2010, this industry sold $101-billion of oil and gas but paid only $12-billion in resource royalties.
Even Senator Pamela Wallin’s higher figure of $22-billion (Oil Sands’ Benefits – letter, May 12), which also includes general taxes applicable to all industries, amounts to only one-fifth of the resource value extracted by oil and gas companies.
No CommentsTags: Economy & Economic Indicators·Media·Saskatchewan·Taxes and Tax Cuts
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