Saskatchewan Budget Increases Funding for Health and Education, Projects $273 Million Deficit

Saskatchewan’s provincial government has announced a budget that increases spending on education, health care, and municipalities. Finance Minister Donna Harpauer rose in the Legislature on March 20 to announce a provincial budget that seeks to deal with concerns about class sizes and complexity, and crowded hospitals and emergency rooms. “This budget delivers the largest new investment in three of the most important areas to Saskatchewan’s future—classrooms, care, and communities,” Ms. Harpauer told the legislature. However, she also announced the province is projecting a deficit of $273 million for 2023–24, with $19.9 billion in revenue and spending of about $20.1 billion. She added the province expects to return to a surplus of $18 million in next year’s budget, “due to increasing revenue driven by economic growth and a growing labour force.”...