Opposition NDP accuses government of 'shooting first, aiming later' with budget
Government reverses latest in a string of March spending decisions
Six months after the Saskatchewan government delivered its tough spring budget, it has reversed another spending decision.
The Opposition says that'sproof the government did not consult properly before it delivered the March budget.
On Thursday, the provincial government gave $20 million to the College of Medicine to help it stay fully accredited, after previously askingthe University of Saskatchewan to find that money itself.
It is the latest in a string of budget changes, or outright reversals, since the finance minister first outlined the government's spending plans for the year. Here are a few examples:
- Library funding restored:$4.8 million.
- Funding for the funeral services of low-income people partially restored:$600,000.
- Capping the reduction to grants-in-lieu for municipalities:$3 million.
- Scrapping plan to reduce funding to community-based health organizations by 10 per cent:$1.5 million.
A government spokesperson says the changes are being made after listening to feedback from the public.
"This is a government that seems to shoot first and then aim later," said interim Opposition leader NicoleSarauer.
"It provides an alarming amount of uncertainty for groups across the province. We're happy to see the rollbacks;they shouldn't have been cut in the first place."
The government has also had to scoop a considerable amount of money from a contingency fund it established in March, after failing to achieve $125-million in reductions to employee compensation this year.
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