DAVIDSON—People hoping to see work begin on safety improvements at Davidson’s busy Highway 11 intersections will have to wait at least another year.
Those spots were not among the projects highlighted in the provincial budget that was table last Wednesday in the provincial legislature.
The Saskatchewan government announced it was investing $20 million in safety improvements on provincial highways in 2019-2020. Of that, $13 million will be spent in the first year of a five-year $65 million enhanced intersection safety program and $7 million for a safety improvement program. The budget will see $706 million spent on Saskatchewan’s highways with $351 million of that for capital projects. There is $60 million earmarked to begin, continue or complete twinning and passing lanes.
The intersections on Highway 11 at Davidson are not included in this program.
Arm River MLA Greg Brkich said the Department of Highways is studying the intersections in conjunction with the Town of Davidson to determine what to do.
He said this includes considering a request for a reduced speed limit zone on Highway 11.
“It’s on the radar screen,” Brkich said.
The 2019-2020 budget projects revenues of $15.03 billion, a 5.5 per cent increase from last year. This assumes revenues will be slightly higher than last year with the West Texas Intermediate oil price around $59.75 per barrel and potash prices at $221 per KCI (potassium chloride) tonne. Expenses are estimated at $14.99 billion, an increase of 2.6 per cent from last year. This could change if there are crop failures or forest fires or other unforeseen calamities.
“It’s a good balanced budget for the people of the province,” Brkich said. “This is what we have worked towards.”
He said Saskatchewan is one of the few provinces in the country with a balanced budget.
The budget predicts a $34.4 million surplus.
“We had a tough budget two years ago,” Brkich said of the 2017-2018 budget that saw deep spending cuts in the face of falling resource revenues. Brkich said that budget laid the foundation for the province, which is still on a path of slow, steady growth.
The provincial government is calling this year’s financial plan “The Right Balance”.
At $5.89 billion, health care is the greatest expense in the budget. The Saskatchewan Health Authority received an $113 million increase to bring its funding up to $3.6 billion. The province is increasing funding for targeted mental health and addictions initiatives by $29.8 million. The province will now spend $402 on mental health and addictions.
Education received a slight 0.6 per cent increase in funding. Total spending on education is $3.28 billion. School divisions will receive $26.2 million more than last year to bring this total to $1.9 billion.
To read the full story, you’ll need to subscribe. Phone 306-567-2047, email davidsonleader@sasktel.net or click the Subscribe button.