The provincial budget delivered Wednesday afternoon is getting a passing grade from Weyburn City Councillor Jeff Richards, with some of the items included in the budget helping with key infrastructure projects.  

“We have received word that the province of Saskatchewan – and this is great news – the province of Saskatchewan is going to join us this year on the rehabilitation of 1st Avenue, but we don’t have all the details yet,” Richards announced. “The budget’s just been released so all those line items are not available to us yet.” 

The City of Weyburn had submitted the project to the provincial Ministry of Highways for funding through the Urban Highway Connection Program. The planning phases had started, with a geotechnical survey done last October, and City Council accepting the RFP for the start of the geotechnical plans at their last meeting. The project is expected to carry a total price tag of $1.2 million.  

In addition to the funding for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of 1st Avenue, the budget included money for another long-awaited project to help bring it closer to completion.  

“One of the announcements today was an additional $55 million for the continued construction on our hospital, which is up about $17 million from the money last year, so that’s very encouraging,” Richards said. “We’re still excited to see the hospital with an expected completion date of December 2025.” 

Municipal revenue sharing also saw a boost this year, which bodes well for the City of Weyburn. Richards pointed out that the grant from the municipal revenue sharing formula will be going up by 14 percent, to $340.2 million. Last year, the City of Weyburn received just over $2.2 million, so any boost this year will be welcome.  

Another item in the budget that Richards was pleased to see was outside of the city limits, but just as important for Weyburn overall.  

“Additionally, the continued twinning of Highway 6,” Richards identified as something good for the region. “Transportation is critical for our area. We have three major highways coming through Weyburn, so anytime the highways can get upgraded and better, that’s good for us as well.”