SASKATOON — The campaign for the Monday, Oct. 28 provincial elections is focused mainly on the cost of living, the economy, education and healthcare; however, the Saskatchewan Heavy Construction Association also wants their industry to register in the residents’ minds.
SHCA president Shantel Lipp, in a released statement, said this week infrastructure and road safety improvements should also be a concern for residents, aside from the top priority issues, since highways are directly linked to economic growth.
The SHCA partnered with Insightrix Research of Saskatoon and released a study to gauge where issues impacting the heavy construction industry register in Saskatchewan residents' minds. The SHCA represents over 200 member businesses in the heavy construction industry.
“Robust infrastructure fuels a thriving economy by ensuring safe and efficient transportation, which benefits businesses and communities across the province. The Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities called for increased rural roads and bridges funding. As I stated then, a serious commitment by the government to spending is needed to build and maintain our provincial road network,” said Lipp.
Moe, in an earlier interview, said the Sask. Party-led government had significant and numerous record budgets for highway investment, including the twinning highway project between Saskatoon and Prince Albert.
In the 2024-2025 budget, the Saskatchewan Party-led government allotted almost $600 million in funding for improving highways, road maintenance, repairs, and other projects to develop traffic and transportation safety.
Moe added investing in highways and roads are some of the projects that the Sask. Party-led government could be proud of and then criticized the Saskatchewan NDP’s record in terms of infrastructure development.
“On Oct. 28, there is a choice. The opposition's record regarding investing in highways is not that strong. One of their highway ministers went out and told the community in southwestern Saskatchewan to grab a truck and a load of asphalt and go out and fix it yourself,” said Moe.
He added that Saskatchewan’s highways need to be safe for all motorists, which is why they would continue twinning highway projects and look to innovate with passing lanes that can be seen from Saskatoon to Rosetown.
The SHCA-Insightrix study also showed that in the last decade, more Saskatchewan residents have become concerned that the provincial highway system has gotten worse rather than improved, with 63 per cent saying the government should significantly increase its investment in road repairs.
Fifty-three percent of residents also believe the provincial government should increase investment in improving the northern network of roads, adding that more resources must be committed to local infrastructure projects to help rural municipalities and communities.
The study also showed that 79 per cent of residents believe Saskatchewan-based companies should be the priority for provincial and municipal infrastructure projects, 72 per cent agree that road construction should be 24-hour projects due to Saskatchewan's limited construction season, and 89 per cent agree that unused funds for construction projects should be carried over for the following construction year.
