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Stay the course - Weekes looking to build on his government’s successes by Kevin Brautigam of The Independent
Spend, spend, spend - NDP leader Dwain Lingenfelter is writing cheques he can’t possibly cash, says Biggar Sask Party candidate, Randy Weekes. No one is buying into the New Democrat campaign, nor do they have confidence in its leadership, Weekes adds. “We have tallied up his campaign promises, and he is up to, as of today [October 18], $1.6 billion,” Weekes explained. “That’s just irresponsible. We, in our campaign, have made promises that the province can afford. Mr. Lingenfelter is just promising anything to everybody that comes along.” Hiking resource royalties is simply not an option. “The oil industry virtually shut down [in Alberta] because of the increase in royalty rates, the confidence in the government was at an all-time low, and we certainly are not going there. It needs to be stated, though when you talk about potash, that our royalty rates on the industry is 22 per cent - that’s twice as much as our next nearest competition, Jordan at
11 per cent - so we are at an already high royalty rate.” With Areva opening five mines in the future, Weekes s ay s t h e g o v e r n m e n t doesn’t want to stop that kind of job creation. “We’ve invested $4 billion into infrastructure, we’re s u p p o r t i n g s t u d e n t s, we’ve increased funding to Saskatchewan postsecondary institutions by 40 per cent since 2007, we’ve historic deductions in education property tax,” the list goes on, Weekes says. Unemployment may be low, and more people are coming back to the province to work, but looking after disadvantaged is something they won’t overlook, initiating improvements to the Saskatchewan Assured Income for Disability (SAID); expanding the Active Families Benefit; increase to the Seniors Income Plan (SIP); introducing a new Seniors Pe r s o n a l C a r e H o m e Benefit; making home ownership more affordable by providing a tax credit of $10,000 to first-time home buyers; creation o f t h e S a s k a t c h e wa n Advantage Scholarship, the
Bookworms . . . A wee St. Gabriel School student has his list ready, looking for just the right tome to immerse himself in. St. Gabs held their annual book fair family Saskatchewan Advantage Grant for Education Savings; improvements to health care including bringing the STARS helicopter air ambulance to the province, a new children’s hospital. “The Saskatchewan Party, we’ve always wanted to help. It’s never been an option otherwise,” Weekes stressed. “Maybe it’s something we don’t get credit for, it may not be something we get votes for, but we do it because it’s the right thing to do.”
Under the NDP, 52 hospitals were closed in their 16 years of government. Highways and roads deteriorated - the NDP accusing the government of letting them crumble. “Mr. Lingenfelter is on record when he was in government to go fix their own highways,” Weekes asserted. “It’s hypocritical. We’ve spent $400 million in the last four years on infrastructure. Is there
night, October 19, and for a lot of students, the gateway to imagination was through the simple turn of a page. (Independent Photo by Kevin Brautigam)
more to do? Absolutely! There’s been such an infrastructure deficit left by the NDP that we have to continue, and we will certainly do that.” Last week the Sask Party announced sweeping improvements to health care: forgiving student loans for doctors, increasing nurse practitioner training seats, creating of locum pools, improving rural emergency services, launching STARS, the
Shock Trauma Air Rescue Society medical helicopter program. “It’s going well. I won’t take anything for granted in my own campaign or the provincial campaign. We’re working hard and will continue to the last day - no one has voted yet!” Weekes concluded. “We’re going to be very active and working hard to get our supporters out to vote on election day.”
Wright sees Biggar riding ‘one to watch’ in election by Kevin Brautigam of The Independent
An ounce of prevention . . . Michelle Meschishnick gives Gayle Althouse a shot in the arm at the Biggar New Horizons, Thursday. The second in a series of four flu clinics, the final two will be November 3 (9 a.m. to 3 p.m.) and November 7 (11 a.m. to 7 p.m.). The influenza vaccinations are free to all residents. (Independent Photo by Kevin Brautigam)
He’s a relative newcomer to politics, but Glenn Wright sees that as a plus. Doorknocking in Biggar last Wednesday, Wright opened his campaign office on Main Street to an upbeat crowd of party faithful. “The response has been pretty good, actually,” he enthused. “My biggest problem is I’m an unknown commodity, nobody knows Glenn Wright from a hole in the ground. I have a lot to offer because I’m not your average politician.” “I’ve been on quite a few doorsteps, so far, probably talked to, face to face, at least 300 people in the last week,” Wright described. “You know, there’s a lot of people that are ready for change, and I think that this could be a riding to watch, certainly, so I think every vote will matter.”
In his travels thoughtout the constituency, Wright says teachers are frustrated with how the recent bargaining process was handled, people want to see more infrastructure, improved primary health clinics - properly staffed and providing service that the community needs. “I’ve heard about Biggar being reduced. Where we used to have five doctors in this town, now we are down, is what I’ve heard. There is a lot of concern about that,” said Wright, who lives on a farm with his wife Shannon, and three children. “Getting and retaining doctors is a big issue for a lot of people.” The fight over the Wheat Board is another issue Wright is hearing on the doorstep. “It’s a federal thing, but what people have said
is the Wall government went to bat for PCS being taken over by BHP because there was no net benefit, they said, to the residents in Saskatchewan. A lot of people have said the same thing, ‘There isn’t going to be a net benefit to getting rid of the Wheat Board, and where’s Brad Wall on that issue?’” adding that the NDP will be the voice supporting the CWB. “What they are most concerned about with the Wheat Board, because I have heard some farmers who are in favour of getting rid of the Wheat Board, but it’s the manner in which it’s being handled, it’s being thrust upon them by the Harper government without including the farmers.” Wright wonders what will happen to the shortlines, producer car loading sites, and the assets of the Wheat
Board once it is gone. Getting involved in an election was no easy decision for Wright. “I read both the Sask Pa r t y p l a t f o r m f r o m cover to cover, their policy manual, and I read the NDP [platform/manual]. The biggest reason, it was doing research about the NDP, reading about people like Tommy Douglas, reading about people like Alan Blakeney and Jack Layton. I was inspired to make a difference. I intend to live in Saskatchewan my whole life. I moved back - I struggled to get a job in the ‘90s and early 2000’s. I came here and drained all my RRSP’s looking for a job. I’m going to make this my home for life, and I want to make it a better place. You can’t make a difference without getting involved, and that’s why I’m running.”