As the number of construction jobs and the value of building permits continue to drop in the province, the Saskatchewan NDP is calling on the government to cancel its PST hike to construction labour.
“The Sask. Party’s PST hike has hurt our construction industry and its many skilled workers,” said NDP Finance Critic Trent Wotherspoon. “With jobs and major projects at stake, the Sask. Party government needs to finally admit the damage and reverse course.”
Statistics Canada reported today that the value of building permits in Saskatchewan is down 19 per cent year over year, including a 32 per cent decrease in residential construction. The largest decrease was in single-family homes as Saskatchewan had by far the worst month-to-month change in the value of permits for single-family homes in the entire country. The report shows that the value of permits for single-family homes in Saskatchewan has been on a downward trend since 2013.
“With 1,400 more jobs lost in construction compared to last year, we need to be looking at ways to bolster this important industry and create jobs,” Wotherspoon said. “A tax on builders is no way to jumpstart the construction projects that will boost Saskatchewan’s economy and retain the skilled labourers we need.”
Minister of Rural and Remote Health Cites Placeholder Funding In Out-Year Budgets, But Records Show No Such Amounts Exist
YORKTON – Scott Moe and the Sask. Party either don’t have a clue on the costs or completion timeline for the desperately needed new Yorkton Hospital — a project the government promised to deliver 14 years ago — or they’re willfully hiding those details from the public.
Yorkton, Swift Current, Moose Jaw And Prince Albert All Saw Job Losses
REGINA – Saskatchewan saw significant job losses in the month of July according to data released by Stats Canada today, impacting communities across the province, while youth unemployment climbed to over 12 per cent.