It’s no secret that there is probably no bigger booster of the oil industry than the Saskatchewan government. Former Premier Brad Wall took any and every opportunity to champion the industry while publicly opposing virtually any policy—higher royalties, increased regulation, carbon pricing—that might threaten the industry’s profitability. Mr. Wall was…
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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…
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Despite the provincial government’s insistence that its budget cuts would “strike a balance” among those affected, Wednesday’s budget sure seemed to favour some over others. While the government’s budget cuts and tax increases landed disproportionately on the shoulders of the poor, it simultaneously lavished multiple tax breaks on corporations. That…
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Brad Wall has a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad idea for Saskatchewan; privatizing SaskTel. While the suggestion of privatizing Sasktel has been floated by the government for the past year, the idea took on new life yesterday with the Premier once again musing about the possibility of a referendum…
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The Saskatchewan government’s recent legislative efforts to define what is – and what is not – “privatization,” has left us all floundering in a game of useless semantics. Does the sale of a 49% stake in a provincial Crown corporation constitute “privatization?” Or is it merely “partial privatization?” Can something…
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Speaking in a 2013 year-end interview with CTV News, Premier Brad Wall had this to say about his government’s approach to the economy and the private sector: “We’ve said, as a government, that we’re not going to try to pick winners and losers. In the past, governments of all stripes have…
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It’s always nice to be recognized. So it was a pleasant surprise to see both Minister Don McMorris and the Saskatchewan Party address our latest study on the government’s liquor privatization plan. Unfortunately, both the Minister and the Saskatchewan Party appear to be struggling with some of the math involved…
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Saskatchewan’s summer has been a snapshot of our climate future. Massive wildfires exploded across the north of the province, forcing the evacuation of over 13,000 people – dubbed by some as Saskatchewan’s first “climate change refugees.” Smoke from the fires was so intense it caused air quality warnings in Saskatoon…
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To paraphrase Leader-Post columnist Murray Mandryk, the government’s Liquor Retailing consultation process is looking more and more like manipulation and less and less like consultation. University of Regina Business Administration professor Dr. Sean Tucker recently released an open letter he sent to Minister Don McMorris regarding the quality of the public liquor retailing…
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Today, the Government of Saskatchewan released its’ Green Paper,“Future Options for Liquor Retailing in Saskatchewan” in anticipation of a province-wide liquor privatization debate. Firstly, the government is to be commended for what is a rather comprehensive document that gives the people of Saskatchewan a distinct set of options to consider…
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