Prince Albert’s two Saskatchewan Party MLAs touted the province’s 2025-26 budget as a helpful one for Prince Albert residents while NDP MLAs from the northern part of the province said it leaves residents out in the cold.
Speaking Wednesday afternoon, Prince Albert Northcote MLA and Parks, Culture, and Sport Minister Alana Ross said the $361.8 million in revenue sharing Saskatchewan cities will receive this year will benefit communities like Prince Albert. That’s an increase of $21.6 million from the year before.
Prince Albert is slated to receive more than $9.4 million in revenue sharing, Ross said. That’s an increase of roughly $563,000.
“It’s a good budget for the province and for the City,” Ross said. “That ($9.4 million) is very helpful.”
Prince Albert Carlton MLA Kevin Kasun touted the province’s spending on education. The budget provides $322.4 million for ongoing construction at the Victoria Hospital, plus money for more physicians at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Prince Albert.
The province also reiterated plans for a new Acute Care Centre in Prince Albert. The province first announced in November that they were planning to build such a centre.
Saskatchewan already has one built in Regina. It was originally supposed to be open 24-hours, but the province has struggled to find enough staff for it.
Both Ross and Kasun said the Acute Care Centre has been a success in Regina, and they’re excited to have one built in Prince Albert.
“This takes out the things that (require) a little bit more (care) than just going to your local clinic, but yet you don’t quite have to go to the emergency room,” Kasun said. “It takes that strain off of the system, so the hospitals can work more on the more urgent things.”
“The one in Regina here is really showing to be successful,” Ross added. “I have heard—being down here in Regina as much as I am—very, very positive comments about the urgent care centre, so it’s a great thing.”
Wednesday’s announcement also included an update on the 2024-25 budget. The province originally forecasted a $273 million deficit last year, but upgraded that forecast to a $661 million deficit on Wednesday.
The province expects to see an extra $547 million in revenue along with an extra $934 million in expenses.
The 2025-26 calls for a balanced budget with a small $12 million surplus.
“That’s where we are today, and that’s the budget we put forward today,” Ross said when asked how confident she was in the 2025-26 forecast. “It’s very difficult to predict the future in today’s times…. We’ll be prepared, regardless of what’s happened.”
The provincial government expects Saskatchewan’s economy to grow in 2025. Budget documents available on the province’s website say Saskatchewan will “sustain a strong economic outlook over the medium term from 2026 to 2029.” However, the outlook “does not account for the impact of potential U.S. trade tariffs or related retaliatory actions.”
The budget documents say there is “significant downward risk” to Saskatchewan’s economy if a trade war continues.
Some provinces have setup contingency funds to prepare for long-term tariffs. Ross said the government is working on its own tariff response.
“It’s an everyday process and this is where we are today,” she said. “The premier has said that tariffs aren’t good for anyone. They’re not good for the people of Saskatchewan. They’re not good for our American neighbours, so we’re are taking this measured approach to do the best that we can for the people of our province.”
Cumberland NDP MLA Jordan McPhail said the province’s lack of tariff contingency planning shows the government is not focused on the future. In an interview on Wednesday, McPhail blasted the budget, saying it ignores Prince Albert and northern Saskatchewan.
“I think it denies the serious reality of the massive challenges that we’re facing here today,” McPhail said.
“This budget has no plan for our economy and pretends like the last three months haven’t happened. We have the president of the United States threatening Saskatchewan in unprecedented ways and again, I think people expected more from the Saskatchewan Party and their provincial government to deliver for them and this budget just was not it.”
McPhail said residents he’s talked to were expecting more spending on healthcare and education. The two areas make up the province’s largest expenditures at a combined 59 per cent. Social Services and Assistance make up the second largest list of expenditures at 8.8 per cent.
The province is spending $8 billion on healthcare and $4.4 billion on education, but McPhail said that money is not going where it’s needed most.
“It’s really unfortunate to, again, see a government not investing in such critical infrastructure that could help Prince Albert and the far north,” he said. “The good people of Saskatchewan, they expected more out of their government.”
McPhail added he was sad to see the province continues to go ahead with the Saskatchewan Marshal’s Service. He said the money should be put towards existing frontline services and local police groups instead.
