What to Expect
Saskatchewan and Manitoba will be looking west this week as Alberta selects a new Premier. Media in both provinces will be immersed in the leadership race, the results of which will be announced Thursday evening in Calgary at the BMO Centre. As such, don’t expect any major announcements from either government this week (that said, if there are any bad news stories, they will likely drop on Thursday or Friday).
The Week That Was
Saskatchewan
According to Statistics Canada, Saskatchewan recently recorded its largest quarterly population increase ever in the second quarter of 2022. The province’s population grew by 6,465 people.
The Government of Saskatchewan has announced that starting on September 29 all residents 18 years and older who are eligible for a COVID-19 booster dose may receive the Moderna bivalent vaccine.
Last week, Minister of Policing and Public Safety Christine Tell voiced her opposition to the federal government’s firearm buyback program in a letter to Saskatchewan RCMP Commanding Officer Rhona Blackmore.
Manitoba
Premier Heather Stefanson became chair of the Council of the Federation following a teleconference of Canada’s premiers held on September 27. Manitoba will host the next summer meeting of premiers from July 10 to 12 in Winnipeg.
The Manitoba government began the fourth session of the 42nd Legislature on September 28. Government house leader Kelvin Goertzen said that “as the fall session starts, Manitobans can be assured that health care, affordability, job creation, and community safety remain top priorities.”
On September 29, the Government of Manitoba released the public accounts for the 2021-22 fiscal year, recording a year-end deficit of $704 million, which is an improvement of $1.4 billion over the previous year’s deficit of $2.1 billion.
On October 3, Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Doyle Piwniuk announced that the Manitoba government is investing $26.9 million for a reconstruction project on a segment of Provincial Trunk Highway (PTH) 12.
