Oops, I was over 2000 characters so I had to split my post. It seems I have lots to say (good or bad?). Anyways, to continue:

I have had more opportunity to study the budget,and I have a major concern -- If we are experiencing such prosperous times, why are we drawing from the Fiscal Stabilization Fund? Sure, if the oil industry continues to be strong, these funds may be replaced in a few years, but as we all know, the oil industry is cyclical and there will be a downturn inevitably. Some of this money should stay in the FSF so that there is more available to be used when the province is truly experiencing a slower economy. The NDP are drawing on this stabilization fund to finance their "get elected again" budget at the possible expense of our future viability. I'm sure the NDP have economic research to back up this decision and show why it will not hurt our long term viability, but I still don't like it. A stabilization fund should not be used to finance a deficit budget. And if you don't believe it's a deficit budget, just look at the bottom line on the Statement of Financial Position on page 59 of the Budget that shows an increase of $430M in the Accumulated Deficit.

I sure don't proclaim to be an expert on financial matters and the economy. These are just my views.

I am a grad from 2006 and even though I am happy about getting the credit, I think it is a bad move. Most people that leave Saskatchewan want to stay, but are unable to stay because they can't find a good job. Why reward the people that are lucky enough to get the jobs? Instead, the NDP should be looking towards creating more high quality jobs to hold onto those people that want to stay in Saskatchewan. I would have been much happier if I was able to find a job in half the time rather than save $5000 in taxes.

I'm in favour of a lot of the NDP gov'ts policies. It's an OK budget overall. We still are preserving social programs with no tax increase which is good. The dental program is a plus,the prescription cost for seniors is a plus and energuide program is good. We only have so much money. There was something for just about everyone.

I am sick off people including the Leader Post being against seniors. Our drugs are not free and never will be. I use an insulin that cost 135.00 and is not under the drug plan. I also use other drugs that are very costly. Try living on a pension and make it. If i would not take these my life is over. But i still support the budget. Before you complain about some of us seniors check into the drugs that might be covered. This is for all you so called smart ass-----.

Taking that out years ago was the stupidest move any government ever made. Glad to see it is finally coming back.

The whole two tier health care argument is a joke when it already exists that kids who's parents have a job with dental coverage have good teeth and kids whose parents have a job but no dental don't have good teeth.

It adds to the whole, on wellfare get dental coverage, get an entry level job, no dental coverage, get a better job, dental again. Oh there is Tiers. And of course its the low payed working shmoo whose kids are missed.

What a celebration, oil revenue from western portion of Saskatchewan benefiting Saskatoon and Regina,which in turn service the eastern and central portions of Saskatchewan. This budget does nothing to address issues facing residents in the west-central part of the province, namely with emergency care and property tax reform. Perhaps residents of the aforn mentioned cities and the NDP administration should be more respectful of where this resource money is coming from, or face revolts that will trully change the face of Saskatchewan.

Those of us who understand how the budget works in this province know that the 7.9 billion dollar revenue figure is just a floor. In all likelyhood, I wouldn't be surprised if they bring in 8.9 billion when the year is done. This will wipe out the so-called deficit.

The NDP are predicting 900 million from oil revenue in 2007-2008, but they will total about 1.35 billion from 2006-2007 (when the final numbers are in). Realistically (unless oil prices tumble), even if half the oil production in the province shut down for 6 months this fiscal year, they probably still wouldn't rake in less than a billion. I anticipate oil revenues being about 1.5 billion this year (600 million above budget), and I also anticipate that taxation revenue will be about 300-400 million dollars more than what was estimated. Federal transfers will also be up in all catagories.

Our provincial revenue could easily top 9 billion this year (so don't take this budget too seriously).

Merv congratulates the current administration for returning the province to financial health. What a bogus argument!!

The surpluses enjoyed have come from the resource sector which has benefited from high oile prices worldwide. Credit should go to the resource industry who have to overcome hurdle after hurdle to do business in our province.

Without this industry, our declining tax base and brain drain would reveal this government for what it really is. Of course, the myopic views of many will overlook these facts and try to put the hopeless cast of politicians that are known as the NDP back in power.

$701 Million deficit in good times? How long will it take to fix this mess?

I have a friend who just returned from eight weeks in Mexico, and now I'm going to subsidize his prescriptions. A program that pits friend against friend is bad public policy.

I thought the budget was good. I lived in Alberta for years. I was so tired of that free ent. garbage. Privatization sucks everything you've got. People wanted tax cuts on education. Now Alberta families pay the school boards directly. So in my view this is a good budget, it helps the people of Sask.

If one considers the state of the economy after almost 16 years of an NDP government, I would be hard pressed to want to look to an alternative. Especially a right-wing, ideological party like the Sask Party who hides behind cancer patients in order to deflect attention away from the fact that they have no alternative policies other than some vague "growth agenda" that they've never given the details of.

And as for posters such as Gail from Battleford who suggest that rural Saskatchewan is the "backbone of this province", I would have agreed with her.. 70 years ago. Agriculture currently accounts for 7% of Saskatchewan's economy. I find it ironic that it is rural, right-wing residents who demand a school, hospital, and paved road to every small town in the province but put up the loudest fight when it comes to paying a tax.

Congratulations to the NDP for sticking to the core values of Saskatchewan residents and assisting Seniors regardless of income. I don't remember having to open my wallet to show how much money I had the last time I visited a doctor or an emergency room. With prescription drugs playing an increasingly large part in the treatment of disease, I don't see why a senior's income should matter in that case either.

I thought the budget was quite good. I lived in Alberta for years. All I hear is complain complain........ Saskatchewan people have got it good here compared to Alberta no matter how you slice it. This budget is good for everyone. They want the education tax cut. They did that in Alberta now the parents pay the school boards bigger bucks than any tax.

I am most concerned that the former NDP Finance Minister, Janice McKinnon, has stated that she has serious concerns with the sustainability of this budget. She has more credibility (having had to deal with the results of spendtthrift predecessors during the Romanow administration) than any of the current players. If she is worried about it, then so am I.
The senior's drug plan is an election ploy to buy votes, pure and simple. Who is to say that it would not be scrapped by the NDP themselves, if they were to pull off another term? I remember in the last election, the NDP campaigned on a policy of tax cuts. They brought in a tax INCREASE (1%on the PST)as soon as they took office. If the price of oil falls, then what? How do we sustain this level of spending and increase in the size of Provincial government? I have not heard any rational answers from Minister Thompson or Premier Calvert regarding this!

An excellent and appropriate budget for the times! Mr. Thomson's approach in addressing the needs of Saskatchewan people, following on his tax cuts announced earlier, produces a climate which enhances the lives of Saskatchewan people. Boo to you nay sayers - either stay in Alberta or move there - we don't need your kind in Saskatchewan!

Nearest I can see this budget is nothing but an election bid. The only people who benefit from any of it are certainly not working class tax payers. Unfortunately there are more of them than there are of us so the NDP will likely get in AGAIN!

This Government is trying but they have a long way to go yet. They are still giving too many TAX breaks to out of Province Corps.
But they are headed in the right direction, this is only my comment. But maybe what do I know?

Brutal, just brutal. Another budget that does nothing for the average Joe Everyman. It's all fine and well to take care of the seniors and students, but what about the rest of us that work to pay for all these services, that make the wheels of this provinces' economy turn?

If Saskatchewan wants to start growing and prospering again, there's only one thing it needs..... LESS GOVERNMENT!!!!! Less government=Less Taxes=Less places for the government to waste/steal/squander our tax dollars.

I think the budget is very irresponsible. I listened to your radio coverage all day and I agree with all you commentaries that criticized it. For now I will plan to leave the province after retiring, taking my finances and as many of my friends and family with me as I can convince, looking for another province to prosper in. Unless someone can get rid of this NDP government, I suspect many others will do the same. From what I see with road conditions, I think the NDP government has rolled us back about 50 years. If only we could hire Ralph Klein to kick start this province.

as; the sask party opposition finance critic put it! ("we,ve blown the boom") well its' a jolly good thing that the finance minister seen fit to spend this money on worthwhile programs because; as we know when the former n.d.p. government back in the seventies.. left a largesse and were kicked out of power we had an administration come to power and blew it all on themselves and their corporate friends, so applause for the finance minister who spent this money wisely and boo to the sask. party who are now crying fowl, only because they won't be able to get their mitts on the peoples money and blow everything like they did back in the eighties. and i might add: it is this current administration that brought this province back from the brink of bankruptcy. thankyou

Another year with the NDP, another useless budget. I shouldn't be surprised.

I am a 30-something year old, just finished paying off student loans (with no help from the government, thanks a lot), working and trying to pay my bills. There is vitually nothing in this budget that is going to benefit me.

Not to slam the seniors, but I know from my own family that most seniors already get a significant reduction in prescription costs. I also don't see anything that limits this cap to low income seniors. Perhaps I missed it, but does the government have any intention of regulating this? I sure don't appreciate funding a cap like this from my taxes if it is benefiting seniors who have more income than me (and there are some of them out there). I spend over $2500 on prescription drugs per year, and it sure would be nice to get some additional help with that.

I also don't see anything for rural Saskatchewan. They are the backbone of this province, and the NDP continue to ignore them. A lot of businesses in Regina and Saskatoon wouldn't have much to do without the contributions that rural Saskatchewan makes. Young people continue to move out of rural Saskatchewan and out of the province. Population growth? Hah, we have not seen that here for many years, and I don't see anything from the NDP in this budget that is going to change that.

Am I cynical? You bet. It's kind of hard not to be.

to Ryan Peterson.

If you look at the budget document the new tax exemptions for young workers will *not* be extended to people who have graduated in the past five years. It will only cover those who have graduated later than 2006.

The media coverage of the NDP government over the last couple of years, particularly in the lead-up to this budget has been cynical at best. We,the people of Saskatchewan complain when the government doesn't spend enough on social programs and now are complaining when they commit to social programs. The Calvert government has genereated an economic turnaround in the last two years in this province. They finally have some money to play around with (based on increased revenues from oil & gas, and soon from an increase in population) but all of the attention goes to "election spending". This only has a small part to play in this budget; the reality is that we are enjoying one of the top economies in the country and it is about time we started sharing the wealth with the people in the province. I challenge the people of Saskatchewan, and in particular the media, to be more positive in their thinking towards our politicians. They are there to serve us!

Yup, this has pre-election budget written all over it. What is missing, however, is the rebate program similar to the one announced by the Federal Conservatives for fuel-efficient vehicles.
By promoting the purchase of these types of vehicles, there are numerous benefits: less fuel consumption; less environmental impact; and less larger vehicles chewing up our highways.

Two words... "Deficit Budget"... the NDP are trying to buy their way into the next election. Hopefully the people of Saskatchewan are smart enough to recognize this!

To me, it looks as though the NDP is desperate; spending as though there is no tomorrow. I don't think many people are going to buy the $510 million spent from its 'election slush' fund; and what's with the net debt increasing by $30 million? I am a youth, and even with the tax reductions for youth, I certainly won't come back to Saskatchewan to start out.

Still haven't really studied the entire budget announcement, but I can say I am deeply disappointed in the 8% reduction of the education portion of my property tax. This has definately made me make up my mind that I will not be supporting the N.D.P. in the next election. At the very least, they should have put a 30 or 40% reduction to ease the burden on the rural property owners. Shame on the Calvert Government!!!

As usual, they lie. There is no rainy day fund, it is an overdraft (read debt). This is a deficit budget. For all the good, such as tuition, there is bad. In a province with shrinking population (tax base)and unwarranted increases in the civil service, they actually present a deficit budget!!! I am incredulous. They have a mind set to spend every nickel that comes in the door. We need these fools gone, and very quickly before they finish destroying whatever hopes for prosperity this province still has.

I am a recent graduate from Red River College in Manitoba. The money for students is not going to change anything - I am living proof of this.

I moved to Saskatchewan despite Manitoba's already present freebies for students.

I think more should be done to accommodate Saskatchewan's growth. That means more houses for everyone. Nothing is being done to put people in homes as places like Saskatoon grow.

Without homes, people are flushing their money down the toilet month by month because they can only rent somewhere to live. As the money is lost, your people lose: You widen the gap between the rich and the poor.
If people are to prosper, give them the opportunities needed to establish themselves, not live their lives from month to month.

I graduated from U of R in 2002, and am wondering if I qualify for the new graduates tax exemption under the five year limitation set?

I think this was an excellent budget. The cut to drugs for seniors will allow them to be able to cut their drug costs substantially, especially when they are on a fixed income.
The freeze of student tutition fees are a step in the right direction. The federal governmnet needs to step up to the plate and help cut student fees. The provinicial government cannot absorb all the costs.
It is because of the government's principals of maintaining Crown corporations, that they are able to draw income from them in order to help fund programming for all citizens of the province. In Alberta, all profits are going to the private sector, and residents there have to pay $1000 per year for health care.
When I was young almost all of the kids in my town had cavity filled mouths and were missing teeth. After the dental plan in schools, I never saw cavities in students again, until recently. The dental sealant program is going to help protect against that.
It seems that the debate at the last budget also centered around sustainablilty. Well, it was sustainable then, and I suspect this budget is sustainable as well. Good job.