Opposition sees plenty of room for improvement
Opposition Leader Currie Dixon is once again going to bat for local businesses.
Opposition Leader Currie Dixon is once again going to bat for local businesses.
Dixon reacted to the 2023-24 budget after Finance Minister Sandy Silver presented it Thursday.
“The then-Liberal minority signed the first CASA (Confidence and Supply Agreement) and implemented a series of policies that were negative for the private sector. Since that time, we’ve seen things get even worse with the CASA 2.0,” Dixon said in a media scrum.
“There’s been multiple letters from the Whitehorse Chamber of Commerce expressing their deep concern with the government policy over the last number of years.
“Businesses themselves are speaking up, saying they’re feeling pressure. They’re facing increased costs.
“And what they want is the opportunity to see business be easier to be done in the Yukon, not more difficult, not more expensive. And, unfortunately, that this budget and this agenda from the Liberals and the NDP has made things more expensive for Yukon businesses,” said Dixon.
“What you hear from the government is blaming the Yukon Party for things that happened 10 years ago, and ignoring the fact that the measures that they’re placing on the business community are causing real hardship.”
When it comes to the new budget, Dixon said it’s same ol’, same ol’.
“This is an opportunity for the new premier to set out his vision for the territory,” he said. “Instead, we just see more of the same.
“There’s a few projects that have been delayed, a few have changed their names. But really, there’s no change at all.”
Dixon added, “The only things that appear to be any way new are those items that came from the CASA, that came from the NDP, so that tells us pretty clearly that the Liberal party is out of their own ideas. They’re out of steam and they’ve gotten long in the tooth.”
Dixon added that there was some excitement about the opportunity for change with the new leader and a new premier – but that hasn’t materialized.
Dixon also said his party has ongoing concerns about the trajectory of spending.
“By the time the CASA is done in 2026, the government projects $528 million in net debt. That’s something that should concern all Yukoners.”
Dixon said he’s also concerned about the Liberals’ inability to spend the capital funding they are allotted.
“We have concerns about the ability of the government to get that money out the door, and to deliver those capital projects that are so important to our economy.”
He ended his scrum on a positive note.
“There are things in the budget that we can support. I did notice that there was a commitment to a health human resources strategy, or at least, what sounds like the creation of one. That’s something we’ve been calling for for years. So we are happy to see that,” he said.
“There’s a significant commitment in the CASA to attract and retain health professionals and so I’m sure that’s where it came from.”
Dixon did question the absence of some projects in the new budget, including a school to replace École Whitehorse Elementary (to be built in Takhini) and a new campground.
“We do wonder what’s happened to some of these projects.”
Dixon added there are some commitments in CASA he would like to see removed. Those include rent control, the ban on no-cause evictions, the way the new minimum wage ($16.77 hourly) has been calculated and the implementation of 10 paid sick days.
“These are all things that heap onto the backs of the private sector and make life more difficult for the small business community here in Yukon.”
NDP Leader Kate White also raised some concerns about the budget – including $2 million allowed for golf course irrigation.
“That could be more, actually, than we’ve got towards the substance use emergency of $1.4 million. So that causes some questions.”
White was happy to see some of the CASA’s fingerprints in the budget, including money toward youth mental health support.
“Recruitment and retention money for both health care and educators is really important.”
White would also like to see the new dental plan extended.
“There’s an opportunity that makes good economic sense for the government to allow people with private health insurance that has less than $1,300 of dental to actually apply to that program.”
She was asked if she sees any major holes in this budget. White replied, “I wish all the things that I want for Yukoners were included, and the truth of matter is they’re not.
“I have concerns about some of the social safety nets that look like they’ve been cut back.
“We had a press release not that long ago talking about a food program that had been shut down just before Christmas time.
“We know people are hurting, right? We know that people are facing this financial pinch.”
White also brought up the quandary of people living off-grid who aren’t eligible for some financial relief.
“Last year, we came up with an entire inflation relief package that was broad strokes, and that wasn’t accepted. But one of the things that is in the budget is an extra $100 a month for people on social assistance.”
White also said there is a lot more work to do on major issues like the opioid crisis, including in the “struggling” communities.
“We should be looking at nurse practitioners and community health nurses as well, because the problem is also outside of Whitehorse.”
She also thinks that there should be more mental health response resources like the Car 867 program, in which an RCMP officer is accompanied by a mental health nurse to mental health-related calls.
“All of those are part of the substance use emergency,” White said.
“I wish the Manage Alcohol program was going to open tomorrow, but that’s not the case. I wish that we were moving faster.”
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