Exciting, in lots of good ways and some bad, is what 2010 was in Saskatchewan and Humboldt.
That sums up Humboldt MLA Donna Harpauer's comments about the past year when contacted by the Journal in December.
The year was full of ups and downs, Harpauer indicated, but mostly ups.
"2010 was a great year for Saskatchewan as a whole," she said.
The economy did well in the past 12 months, and Saskatchewan was officially listed as a fastest growing province in Canada for population.
The population of the province reached an all-time high of over 1.049 million.
"That is encouraging," Harpauer said.
Saskatchewan also had the second-lowest unemployment rate in Canada in 2010, and the average wage has gone up.
"A lot of... forecasters are saying the Saskatchewan will lead the country in economic growth in the upcoming year as well," Harpauer said.
On the down side, 2010 was the year of the storm in Saskatchewan, Harpauer noted.
There were a lot of challenges facing producers this year, most of it stemming from simply too much rainfall.
Communities around the province like Raymore, Maple Creek and Yorkton were massively flooded, and Harpauer said she was happy the Saskatchewan Party government did what they could for those people.
In total, Harpauer said, the government provided $360 million in flood relief between the payments for flooded farmland and through the Provincial Disaster Assistance Program (PDAP), which provides relief for those whose homes and businesses were flooded.
"We significantly stepped up to the plate," Harpauer said, and delivered better programs.
Even with that extra expense, they were able to add to their Growth and Financial Security fund, she noted.
"We have weathered the storm," she stated, "with the anticipation of what the spring will bring, especially in this area."
The government has discussed the situation in the Humboldt area in regards to the flooding happening north of the city.
As far as the provincial government is concerned, Harpauer indicated, the biggest barrier to solving the flooding issue is the federal government court order, which closed a culvert, preventing water from flowing north into Lenore Lake.
"We need to have that lifted... to move forward with a permanent solution," Harpauer said. "It's very problematic to try to contain the water in the south."
In Humboldt in 2010, a lot of the announcements made by the government in the community were following through on those made in previous years.
"There is a lot of construction happening in Humboldt," she pointed out.
"It's exciting to see the hospital move forward," Harpauer said of the new Humboldt District Health Complex, which is still under construction and due to be officially opened in March.
Upgrades to educational institutions were also accomplished with provincial and federal funding, including the renovations to St. Peter's College in Muenster, upgrades to the Carlton Trail Regional College (CTRC) welding shop in Humboldt, and the construction of the new Humboldt Collegiate Institute with its CTRC wing.
The Humboldt Co-operative Daycare also expanded and changed in the past year, with the help of government funding.
"Progress is happening in Humboldt to address Humboldt's growth," she said.
On the private side, Harpauer said she was happy to see the construction of the Caleb Group's senior housing facility in Humboldt move forward.
It's great for addressing some of the city's housing issues, she noted.
More construction is bound to happen in the coming months.
"I know the elementary school is waiting," Harpauer said, for the new HCI to be completed so the retrofitting of the former HCI building can be done to be come the new Humboldt Public School.
What else will we see in 2011?
Significant for property owners will be the Sask. Party's proposal to move forward with their second cuts to the education portion of property tax.
The Sask. Party will also be looking to keep the second piece of their promise to increase revenue sharing to municipalities, Harpauer noted.
These funds will help all municipalities with the challenges they face dealing with aging infrastructure.
Humboldt is not alone in dealing with water issues because of aging infrastructure, Harpauer indicated - it is one among many municipalities who are doing so.
"Those are two pieces we want to see go forward in 2011," Harpauer said.
The government will also continue with their efforts to improve health care in the province, Harpauer indicated.
Already, they have surpassed their election promise of hiring 800 more registered nurses, she said - they have 830 new nurses hired right now. Also, they have created 300 new nursing seats, have given $200 million for the construction of a new children's hospital in the province, and committed $5 million for clinical trials of Liberation treatment for MS patients.
They have also set up an aggressive recruitment and retention strategy for doctors, she said.
"Health care is moving forward, but there's lots to be done yet," she said.
They have set a target to reduce surgical wait times in 2011, for instance, she noted.
Very significant for both government and the populace of Saskatchewan is that 2011 is an election year - the first set election year, actually.
Harpauer confirmed that she will run for office again in the Humboldt constituency, adding that she feels this election year is different from that of 2007.
"We have a far more negative opposition," she said of the reason for the difference, "and there is a different tone to the political front that is unfortunate... but we'll meet the challenges."
