Sask. budget cuts funding to local park

The 2016-17 provincial budget includes some items of note for communities in the northwest.

The city of North Battleford will receive $3.03 million in revenue sharing, an increase of $60,000 from last year. Meadow Lake will get an additional $20,000 for a total of $1.1 million, which is the city’s share of the $174.6 million allocated to urban municipalities. The figure is based on one percentage point of provincial sales tax revenue.

However, funding for five urban parks, worth a total of $540,000, is being eliminated. The Battlefords’ River Valley is one of the five, along with parks in Prince Albert, Weyburn, Swift Current, and Moose Jaw.

Some roads in the northwest will get a share of $25 million in highway repaving and upgrades. Highway 16 near Maymont and Highway 26 near Turtleford are on the list for upgrades and repairs. In addition, repairs and maintenance will also be coming to Highway 376 between Maymont and Asquith and Highway 340 north of Radisson. It’s part of what the provincial government calls the Highways 2020 plan, which will put an extra $70 million into roads over the next three years.