Released on January 5, 1996
Premier Roy Romanow today announced that the provincial government willbe seeking direct input from Saskatchewan residents as it prepares its
1996/97 budget and plans for the coming years.
"It is clear that the spending and policy decisions the government
makes in the next few months will not only set the budget priorities
for this year but will lay the groundwork for the new century," Romanow
said. "If Saskatchewan is to be well prepared for that new century, it
is important that as many citizens as possible have the opportunity to
provide input to these critical decisions."
The premier noted that Saskatchewan is well-positioned to prepare for
the new century now that it has a stable financial situation and a
growing economy.
"We have accomplished what we set out to do in better managing the
province's finances. Now we must look for new and better ways to
create jobs and economic growth and to improve our social programs. We
must turn to this task with the same determination we used to balance
the books.
"We face opportunities and we face challenges. New technology brings
opportunities and government policies must assist residents to turn
these opportunities into high quality, stable jobs. We also face
significant financial challenges due to massive federal cuts in health,
education and social services.
"These challenges and opportunities will require all of us to make
choices when considering some fundamental questions about the future
role of government."
The premier said that the government will report back to Saskatchewan
citizens about their input in early February.
"At that time we will provide an outline of how we intend to act on the
priorities and choices that Saskatchewan residents have put forward and
how the ideas and directions provided to us will be put into action,
not just this year but also in the years to come."
To encourage public input, the province will be holding a series of
public meetings in January. Residents who are not able to attend the
meetings can also get more information and a postage-paid questionnaire
to fill in with their opinions. Information will also be available on
the internet at http://choices.gov.sk.ca..
The province will also be holding SCN-linked forums to bring people
from across the province together through new technology to share
information and ideas.
Anyone wanting more information, locations of public meetings or a copy
of the survey can call 1-800-759-7793.
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For more information, contact:
Dave Burdeniuk
Media Relations
Regina
Phone: (306) 787-6349