By Mac Christie
Both Saskatchewan Party leader Brad Wall and NDP leader Dwain Lingenfelter made stops in Meadow Lake last week, as the campaign turns to its final week.
IMPORTANT SEAT: Saskatchewan Party leader Brad Wall addresses supporters during a campaign stop at Jeremy Harrison's campaign office Oct. 27. Wall, in the city after touring NorSask Forest Products, said the Meadow Lake constituency is an important seat for the party.
Wall was in the city Oct. 27 for a tour of NorSask Forest Products, followed by a stop a Jeremy Harrison’s campaign office.
The constituency was one of the closer races in the last election, and was decided by lonly 36 votes. Both leaders noted the importance of the riding for their respective parties.
“It’s pretty important,” Wall said of the riding. “We want to earn the support of the people in the constituency. We’re not taking any vote for granted.”
Wall added the party also has a personal interest in the riding, as Harrison is a cabinet minister and deputy house leader in the government.
ELECTION PROMISES: NDP leader Dwain Lingenfelter speaks during a campaign announcement at Helen Ben's constituency office two days later on Oct. 29. Lingenfelter was announcing $100 million in funding geared toward improving municipal infrastructure province-wide.
Earlier in the day the party had announced its plan to have school begin after Labour Day province wide, something Wall said was sparked by talking to people in the tourism industry.
“We’ve heard from tourism groups who say, ‘We need to maximize the long weekends in the summer. We lose a lot of business because things kind of shut down the last week of August.’,” he said, noting the program will have an impact on Meadow Lake.
“We think for an area that has a lot of tourism business, it’s also positive,” he said of Meadow Lake. “We think it makes common sense.”
Meanwhile, Lingenfelter was in the city on Oct. 29 for a campaign announcement at Helen Ben’s campaign office.
Lingenfelter announced a plan to invest $100 million over the next four years to fix the provinces municipal infrastructure.
He said Meadow Lake will have to apply to get access to the funding, which is based on the party’s plan to increase royalties from the potash industry, but also the regular growth of the economy.
Lingenfelter said the plan should help Meadow Lake, agreed the city was an important constituency.
“We’ve been spending quite a bit of time working in this constituency,” he said. “We’re working very, very hard.”
