Sask. residents split on $500 affordability payments

There are a lot of different reactions to the $500 payments coming to Saskatchewan residents this fall.

On Monday, Premier Scott Moe announced the payments, which are aimed to make life more affordable in the face of rising inflation.

The province currently has a surplus of roughly $1 billion, largely due to high resource prices, and Moe’s announcement followed many hints that relief was coming to the people of Saskatchewan.

650 CKOM hit the streets to find out how people were feeling about the payments. Some, of course, were grateful to be getting the money.

“I think it could be good for us … (it) would be nice for a change,” a woman named Michelle said while at the park with her children. “(We’ll) probably spoil the kids and take them to do something fun.”

“I like the idea that it’s going back to the taxpayer,” Grant shared.

Garret Blackwell, owner of Focus Fitness, said he’d like to see the money spent in the community.

“Hopefully it doesn’t all go to Amazon. Hopefully it is used locally,” he said.

For Karlee, who is 18 and moving to Saskatoon for university this fall, the money will be helpful as she heads to school in the fall. She said it’ll help cover part of her tuition and the cost of travelling home to see her family.

But while the $500 payment will be nice, she said the money probably should be given to people who needed it more, rather than doling the funds out equally to all Saskatchewan people regardless of their income or tax bracket.

Len Usiskin is the executive director of Quint Developments, which helps provide affordable housing and skills training for those with low incomes. He said there aren’t going to be any long-term benefits from the payment.

“A one-time $500 payment is not going to lift anybody out of poverty in Saskatchewan, so it’s not going to solve any kind of issues related to people on a low income,” Usiskin said.

The total cost for the 900,000 payments was estimated at $450 million, and Usiskin said that amount could be used to drive real change.

“Hundreds of millions of dollars could have gone a long way if we spent it strategically to address homelessness issues instead of just a one-time payment,” he said.

Others like Andy Olsen were more skeptical. He said he feels there will be some form of catch coming along with the cheques.

A woman named Judy said she would have rather kept the money in the first place, through lower fuel and utility costs.

Simon Enoch, Saskatchewan office director of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, suggested the province should focus on long-term solutions to address affordability.

“Programs that would look at ways to reducing the PST on fuel, trying to reduce food costs or building more affordable housing to bring down rental costs are ways that the government could perhaps adopt a more long-term solution to the affordability crisis we’re seeing in Saskatchewan,” Enoch said.

–With files from 650 CKOM’s Steve Seto and Lara Fominoff