Len Taylor

Opposition NDP Caucus members to meet in The Battlefords

Saskatchewan’s official opposition MLAs, including former Premier Lorne Calvert will be in The Battlefords, August 18 and 19 to discuss policy prior to the fall sitting of the provincial Legislature.

Len Taylor, MLA for The Battlefords, says he is pleased that his NDP colleagues chose the Battlefords for the meeting because this northwest community is very representative of the state of the provincial economy and what the caucus learns here will apply to other communities across Saskatchewan.

“Its easy to see that the Sask Party government, which will have been in office for a full year this fall, is failing to understand how to manage this province’s newfound prosperity,” Taylor said, “People are seeing that the government has more money, but everyone is paying higher local taxes, higher utility rates, higher rents, and higher prices for food and for fuel. Not everyone is benefiting from our newfound wealth.

“We’ll be looking at the big issue of managing a prosperous province, but also looking at other issues of importance to Saskatchewan families. The overall goal is to ensure we are doing everything we can to make Saskatchewan even stronger”

Taylor, who is also the opposition House Leader in the Legislature, said that while in The Battlefords his caucus colleagues would also be taking some time to get to know the community better.

“This is very important to me because when I raise issues about The Battlefords in Regina my caucus colleagues will have first hand knowledge of what I am talking about. This will be very useful for getting things done in the interests of the people of The Battlefords,” Taylor said. -2-

While in the Battlefords the MLAs of the NDP caucus will spend an evening with party members and others over dinner to talk about individual issues. They will also spend an afternoon meeting with community groups and members. They expect to meet with area Mayors, representatives of the Chamber of Commerce, and individuals and groups who are working on issues such as immigration, housing, health, tourism, and economic development.

The fall sitting of the Legislature begins on October 22, 2008.

Sask Party Should Use Surplus to Deal with Affordability Issues

Posted: July 31, 2008

Battlefords NDP MLA Len Taylor today responded to the Government’s release of the First Quarter Financial Report.

Taylor noted that the $3.1 billion increase in revenue over budget displays a shocking lack of fiscal management on the part of the Sask Party.

“It’s no surprise the economy is doing so well and of course we welcome the new revenue,” Taylor said. “But the Sask Party continues to play a game of smoke and mirrors with their budget projections. They clearly lowballed the price of oil in the budget creating the massive surplus we see today.”

However, Taylor was encouraged by the dedication of part of the surplus to the provincial debt – a continuation of the debt reduction strategy introduced by the previous NDP government.

While Taylor reiterated his pleasure with the strong Saskatchewan economy, he pointed out that many people in the province have yet to experience the full benefit of the boom.

“The government is now sitting on a mountain of money with no new ideas and no plans on how to invest it,” said Taylor. “Meanwhile the people of our province are dealing with the pressures that come from a booming economy with no assistance from the government.”

Taylor pointed to a number of areas in which affordability is affecting the quality of life of the people of Saskatchewan. “Food prices, fuel prices, utility rates, local taxes and housing costs are all increasing yet the Sask Party continues to provide little relief to vulnerable families,” Taylor said.

“The Sask Party has given the people of this province very little reason to believe they can competently manage these finances,” Taylor said. “We’ve seen very little property tax relief, no commitment to the lowest cost bundle of utilities, and a flip flop on a promise to lower the price of gas. Too many people in our province are feeling left out of the boom.”

“The economy will continue to grow. The riches of the government will continue to grow. We need a new budget during this fall’s Legislative session to ensure the priorities of Saskatchewan people are dealt with – especially those who have been most negatively affected by Saskatchewan’s growing prosperity,” Taylor said.

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