Sask. Party highlights promises for rink grant revival, increased veteran service club funding
The Saskatchewan Party trumpeted some of the election promises made in its platform, which was released last week, at an event in Moose Jaw Thursday.
The party highlighted its promise to revive the Community Rink Affordability Grant, which was cut in 2016 one month after the province announced a $1 billion deficit.
The grant would provide $2,500 per ice surface per year to help communities keep their rink activities affordable. This would serve roughly 635 ice surfaces to the tune of $1.7 million per year.
Sask. Party Leader Scott Moe said the grant would be restored this fiscal year — ensuring communities receive payments this winter — if his party is re-elected.
Moe said the program is being reintroduced due to the importance facilities like rinks have to Saskatchewan communities.
"There isn't a community in this province where the local community arena isn't a gathering place for families, isn't a gathering place for children," Moe said.
In a news release Thursday, the Saskatchewan NDP asked why the Sask. Party cut the grant in the first place. "Brad Wall used to say, 'the best indicator of future behaviour is past behaviour.' And when it comes to cuts and broken promises — the Sask Party's past behaviour is pretty clear," the NDP statement said.
On Thursday, Moe attributed the budget deficits in 2016 to declines in natural resource prices.
Moe also spoke about how organizations like the Royal Canadian Legion would benefit from a $1.4M funding increase to the Saskatchewan Veteran Service Club Support Program if the Sask. Party forms government.
Moe said this proposed funding increase is a way to say thank-you to veterans.
"[This is] an opportunity for us, as Saskatchewan residents, to provide a small amount of funding to ensure that institutions and gathering places like this … are able to remain strong," Moe said.
A Sask. Party news release said the government would work with the Legion and other similar partners to deliver the proposed programming.
