REGINA - The 2024-25 Saskatchewan budget includes a number of spending commitments for Estevan and the southeast.
Estevan-Big Muddy MLA Lori Carr, speaking with Â鶹´«Ã½AV, said there is $2.5 million for the design phase of the new Estevan Regional Nursing Home. The province has committed money to the project each of the past few years, and a ground-breaking ceremony was held last fall.
The map for the Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure's budget shows there is a commitment to complete Highway 18 from west of Estevan to Outram. Once it is complete, Carr said all of Highway 18 will have been resurfaced from Estevan to the junction with Highway 6 in the past few years. There is also a commitment for the Rafferty Road from Highway 18 to Highway 39.
"We will be rehabilitating the bridge and putting a hard top on that, and then the rest of the road will get a product called MG30, it's a dust-free surface," said Carr, who noted the government is working with the RM of Estevan on the project.
SaskPower will continue to work on ensuring the province has reliable and affordable power production, she said.
There isn't money in the budget for the new MRI at St. Joseph's Hospital, but Carr said the project is still proceeding with the province's blessing.
"The project is being led by Emmanuel Health, so what they will do is they order the equipment, they do the renovations to the building and get everything all set up, obviously recruit the staff they need to run an MRI machine, and then all operational costs, once it's up and running, will be turned over to the SHA [Saskatchewan Health Authority]," said Carr.
She predicted it would take another full year before the MRI is operating, so there would be money in 2026-27. If it were to be ready for use before the end of the 2025-26 fiscal year, Carr said "obviously" the government would fund operations.
The government says it is also reducing the Education Property Tax (EPT) mill rates for all property classes to offset the impact of property revaluation, and it has committed $361.8 million for municipal revenue sharing.
Elsewhere in the southeast, the budget has additional support for the new prekindergarten to Grade 12 school in Carlyle.
"This new school will replace and consolidate the existing Carlyle Elementary School and Gordon F. Kells High School. The new school will accommodate up to 500 students from prekindergarten to Grade 12 and will also include a 51-space childcare centre. The Town of Carlyle has secured and dedicated 21 acres of land for the new school site," states a budget document.
Â鶹´«Ã½AV will continue to have coverage on the budget.
