Martensville Messenger September 1, 2016 | Page 14

Page 14 - sePtemBer 1, 2016 - martensville messenger Rural Sask. Takes Hit in Shuf�le Rural representation took a hit in Premier Brad Wall’s cabinet shuffle. One might argue this doesn’t mean much. After all, the 51-member Saskatchewan Party government caucus consists of 30 rural MLAs since the April 4 vote. Rural representation remains the backbone of this government. And as a matter of record, nine of Wall’s new 17-member cabinet - still, the majority come from seats outside the four major cities. For starters, some portfolios are more important and major ministries like energy (where Dustin Duncan is now minister) health, (Jim Reiter), economy (Jeremy Harrison), government relations (Donna Harpauer), Scott Moe (environment) and, of course, Wall as Premier are now all represented in the provincial cabinet by rural MLAs. This may be here where rural Saskatchewan should take notice of the cabinet changes. Essentially what happened in last week’s cabinet shuffle is Wall replaced six cabinet members (including rural MLAs Don McMorris, Bill Boyd, Herb Cox and Nancy Heppner) with five members (of which only Wood River’s David Marit is a truly rural MLA). In fact, that we still have this second health minister portfolio is a little surprising. Asked to explain his reasons for dropping Jennifer Campeau (who had been the lone aboriginal member of his cabinet) Wall stressed that one less minister translates to a $450,000 savings. (That saving consists of cabinet minister’s salary, the obligatory six political staffers, etc.) Moreover, some portfolios are specifically more important to rural residents than others. Besides, rural ministers in key But with everyone in the province likely to take a financial areas like the economy, energy and health, we still seen Lyle hit in the spring 2017 budget, all areas of the province will Stewart in agriculture, former Saskatchewan Association be fighting to ensure it isn’t their ox being gored by the knife of Rural Municipalities (SARM) president Dave Marit in highways and Greg Ottenbreit in rural and remote health. of government cuts. The government might argue that new Advanced Education Minister Bronwyn Eyre from Saskatoon-StonebridgeDakota is a rural MLA, but that’s just silly. As stated, this means the rural cabinet compliment is down to nine - still, a slim majority that doesn’t exactly reflect the ratio of rural MLAs in the government caucus. Of course, such numbers are all relative to other factors. Provincial Politics appointments including, Lori Carr, with (Renewable Murray Mandryk Resources and Energy), Fred Bradshaw, (Environment and Forestry), Hugh Nerlien (Public Service Commission and public sector bargaining), Steven Bonk (Economy) and Warren Kaeding (Agriculture). Sure, it’s not a ministry, but it is the next best thing. (It is unpaid.) But it is an added voice. Finally, the old adage that all of us are just one step off the farm applies to cabinet as well. So when you think of a good Blaine-Lake-boy like Ken Cheveldayoff - who returns to cabinet as minister for Parks, Recreation and Culture - you don’t necessarily think of him as solely the representative of Saskatoon Willowgrove. Also compare the rural representation we now see in the Wall cabinet with the NDP cabinets in days of yore when there were only one to three rural ministers. There is no comparison. But it is passing strange how - like the rest of As such, it can be argued that other demographics in the the province - the Sask. Party government is becoming more province like the First Nations community took a bigger hit urbanized. than rural Saskatchewan did. It may even say a little about what this government considers as most important when it Gone are rural stalwarts like Rod Gantefoer, Ken Krawetz, June Draude, Bob Bjornerud and now Boyd and McMorris. comes to portfolios. That’s a lot of rural cabinet experience no longer in cabinet. Also, several rural MLAs received Legislative Secretary It is a bit of a hit. MLA Report From Nancy Heppner new smaller Cabinet includes Four new Faces Saskatchewan has a new cabinet. It is smaller than before which means a savings to taxpayers of about $450,000 a year. Premier Wall has put in place will continue to do an outstanding job in the years to come, and I look forward to continuing to represent the interests of the constituents of Martensville-Warman as part of this government team. This is an important step as we work to reduce costs to taxpayers all across government to help balance the budget. advisory Panel to review Health region structure The new cabinet has a strong blend of experience and new faces that will serve the province well as we meet the opportunities and challenges ahead. These talented women and men will work to keep our economy strong while carefully managing the province’s finances through this challenging time. A three-person advisory panel has been appointed to review the current Regional Health Authority (RHA) structure and provide options to reduce the number of RHAs in Saskatchewan. Their mandate includes reviewing options for more effective and efficient delivery of services province-wide. It has been a tremendous honour for me to serve in cabinet for most of the past nine years, most recently as Minister of Highways and Infrastructure. I am happy at this point to step back and allow others the same opportunity to serve. I have every confidence that the team While panel members will provide advice that will lead to fewer health regions and less administration, the overall goal of this is to continue to improve frontline patient care for Saskatchewan residents. It’s expected that the panel will provide its findings to government in the coming months. seniors ride with stC for $15 One-Way this september We want seniors to have access to convenient and affordable transportation. During the month of September 2016, Saskatchewan people seniors aged 60 and over can have built a resilient and ride anywhere STC go es for diversified economy. Even in just $15 one-way. the face of challenges such as low commodity prices, there The standard senior fare for a are anecdotal stories of how one-way trip between Regina our economy is improving. and Saskatoon is $38.40 (plus economic success in saskatchewan Statistics Canada figures back up this anecdotal evidence with data that shows Saskatchewan leading the nation in building permit growth, the growth of manufacturing sales and retail sales. tax). If a senior purchases the same one-way ticket in September, he or she can save more than $23. Sale tickets can be purchased at any STC agency and seniors are reminded to bring their identification with them at the time of purchase and When Saskatchewan travel. Learn more at stcbus. businesses are seeing com/seniorsale. increased activity of this nature, it reflects well on the overall economic environment and confidence in communities across the province.I am confident we have the right group of talented women and men to meet this challenge and keep Saskatchewan strong. nominations Open for Province’s Outstanding volunteers Our province is stronger and more resilient today than it has ever been. This is credit to people who set out not only to make life better for themselves but to make a difference in the lives of others. Our province created the Saskatchewan Volunteer Medal to enable us to pay tribute to these individuals who merit public recognition for their remarkable generosity. The 2016 nomination period will be open until October 18th. I encourage you to consider nominating a ABOVE: MLA Nancy Hepner deserving individual this year, so that we can thank them and celebrate their work. For more information, visit saskatchewan.ca/ honoursawards. Nomination calls are also open for the 2017 Saskatchewan Order of Merit, the 2016 Premier’s Service Club Awards, and this year’s Premier’s Award for Excellence in the Public Service. Letter to the Editor The Martensville Messenger welcomes letters to the editor for publication. Letters must be signed and a phone number and/or email address included so the writer’s identity can be verified. ALL letters are the opinion of the writer and NOT the Martensville Messenger. We reserve the right to edit letters for length, clarity or compliance with the current standards of public taste. Submit your letter to ssealey@martensvillemessenger. ca or [email protected] or drop by the Martensville Messenger office at Bay #7 - 301 Centennial Drive North. Departing Stephen Harper places rose-colored glasses on Canadian beaver