Leslie lays out list of wants for 2019 provincial budget

While elected officials have remained tight-lipped as to what could be on the provincial ledger, Finance Minister Donna Harpauer provided a bit of a tease Monday afternoon.

The minister showcased the traditional budget shoes ahead of Wednesday’s announcement.

She has selected little, black flats with a buckle on the front and a slight wedge heel to represent a move out away from red ink and a modest surplus.

Asked what comes to mind when he hears balanced budget, the Battleford mayor is led to question what measures it will take to get there.

“I know, in our community, the economy hasn’t felt strong,” he said. “So for them to come off of their worst budget release in a decade and to say, ‘okay, we have balanced the budget,’ it kind of scares me a little bit on what else has been cut.”

While he commended the government on where services levels are at in the province, worries continued cuts could start to move Saskatchewan backwards.

“We definitely don’t want to see that,” he said.

Bubbling to the top of Leslie’s wish list for the budget is a funding model for how the province plans to distribute cannabis taxation revenue to the lower level of government.

“What has the federal and provincial government done compared to the municipal level to make them deserve 100 per cent of what is there?” he said, noting recent numbers show over $43 million in revenue across the country thus far.

Further, Leslie took aim at the expansion of provincial sales tax on construction projects. He hopes Regina rolls back the tax for small municipalities or even cities, saying it would be a boon for development.

He pointed to the $5.4 million price tag for necessary lagoon upgrades and how PST is adding around $300,000 to the final bill for taxpayers.

“They are paying tax on a tax they have already paid. I just don’t see the point,” he said. “I know the government has to balance the budget but there are other places they could have done it.”

But if they do maintain PST on construction projects, the mayor would like to see the provincial government support a greater number of infrastructure projects in communities. Assembling a more fair distribution system for funding in the province would be a welcome gift to Leslie.

The town, he said, continues to pay for major projects in cash and carries little to no debt, but never sees funding flow into municipal coffers at an acceptable rate.

“I would like to see a more fair and balanced equation on how the province decides who gets the money,” he said.

However, Leslie has zero confidence he will see any of these items buried inside Wednesday’s books.

The mayor hopes the budget is “truly balanced” and the government does not pull money from rainy day funds to backfill gaps on the balance sheet.

“I am tired, as a municipal leader, where I know I have to cut services … or I have to raise taxes to balance my budget,” he said. “I am not allowed by law to pass a deficit budget, but the other levels of government who govern us are allowed.”

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Stay with 1050 CJNB Wednesday following the 2 p.m. news for special live coverage of the 2019 provincial budget.

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tyler.marr@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @JournoMarr

by Tyler Marr

Leslie lays out list of wants for 2019 provincial budget

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