HEALTHCARE, POLICING SHORTCHANGED BY OUT-OF-TOUCH SASK. PARTY

Alleged $100 million overspend on planes could have helped fix biggest issues

REGINA – Healthcare, policing, and so many more vital public services families rely on are being starved all while court documents show the Sask. Party government may have overspent on water bombers by $100 million.

Coulson Aircrane says the Sask. Party gave Conair a $187 million no-bid contract for four waterbombers — at least $100 million more than Coulson claims they could have done it for.

“After 18 years, Scott Moe and the Sask. Party are spending more and more and the people of our great province are getting less and less,” said Hugh Gordon, Saskatchewan NDP Shadow Minister for Infrastructure.

“We can’t afford to waste any public money when our healthcare system is ranked dead last in Canada, when people no longer feel safe in their own communities.

“We could afford more doctors, more police, more services for the people of Saskatchewan if this government was serious about getting value for money.”

The Saskatchewan NDP crunched the numbers and has identified at least 10 investments the government could have made to build a bright future for the people of Saskatchewan for $100 million:

7,485 Childcare spaces
- $13,360 per space
801 Educational Assistants
- Approximately $31,200/year for four years
500 Physicians as part of the rural/remote physician initiative
- $200,000 over five years, not prorated
325 Social Workers
- Median wage $37/hour
311 Nurses
- Nurse A (general duty, psychiatric, ER, OR) at $38.58/hour
269 RCMP Officers
- Based on first year to fourth year wage steps
73 Family Physicians
- $340,629/year for four years per physician, on average
37 Surgeons
- $682,248/year for four years per surgeon
5 Retrofitted Q400 aircraft
- Court documents indicate Coulson could provide for $21 million each
3 new schools
- Approximately $30 million each for construction

The $100-million waterbomber blackhole is just the latest case in a growing list of waste and mismanagement by the Sask. Party government, including:

$240 million for the disastrous AIMS program rollout costs
Over 2,000 Saskatchewan Housing Corporation units sitting empty, not collecting revenues
Forcing women to pay 10 times the price for mammograms to a Sask. Party donor in Calgary
Former Sask. Party MLA Gary Grewal receiving $731,194 in government business to his motel business
A redundant new tax collection agency, the Saskatchewan Revenue Agency, expected to cost $260 million over 10 years
The Regina Bypass costs ballooning from a $400 million project to almost $2 billion

“We don’t have a revenue problem. After 18 years of the Sask. Party, we have a mismanagement problem,” said Gordon.

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