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