Despite Saskatchewan’s government earmarking an additional $1 billion in spending, the finance minister says it won’t change the province’s bottom line. Jim Reiter says the extra spending was already included in his mid-year financial report, which is projecting a $427-million deficit. Earlier this week, Premier Scott Moe’s Saskatchewan Party government approved the additional spending, which includes $813 million for SaskPower and $194 million for carbon price fuel charges the province did not collect. Reiter accused the Opposition NDP of getting the numbers mixed up, as New Democrats argued the spending would add to the deficit. NDP SaskPower critic Aleana Young says she doesn’t buy Reiter’s explanation, arguing she didn’t see the extra spending in the mid-year report. She says Reiter’s numbers can’t be trusted, as he initially projected in March the province would have a $12-million surplus.
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