Saskatchewan’s provincial government plans to stream some of $36.4 million in expected federal funding toward biofuels and sustainable energy development.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Premier Brad Wall announced Thursday in Prince Albert that Saskatchewan has signed onto the federal government’s proposed Community Development Trust program.
The program, which still requires approval from Parliament, will split $1 billion from the projected 2007-08 budget surplus among participating provinces and territories over a three-year period. New Brunswick is the only other province to commit to the program so far.
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The government proposed the trust as an aid package for communities and workers “suffering economic hardship caused by the current volatility in global financial and commodities markets.” The government expected so-called “one-industry” towns facing major downturns and high unemployment to be major beneficiaries of the funding.
Saskatchewan, like New Brunswick, plans to direct some of the funds to support for communities affected by layoffs in the province’s forestry sector, such as Prince Albert. Along with biofuels and sustainable energy, Wall’s government also identified infrastructure as another of its funding priorities in keeping with Ottawa’s aims for the trust funding.
“While the Saskatchewan economy is strong, there are sectors and regions that can definitely benefit from strategic investment from the federal government,” Wall said in the federal government’s release. Wall had previously been quoted in the press wondering if the funds could be put to use in the ag sector — particularly in the livestock sector which has been hit hard by escalating feed costs and the rise of the Canadian dollar.
Provinces that sign on for Community Development Trust funds, if approved by Parliament, would get a minimum $10 million with more to be allocated on a per-capita basis.
