Budget at a glance: The key items you need to know

You won’t find any new taxes or tax increases in this year’s budget. Likewise, the education portion of property taxes stays put.

Volunteer firefighters and first responders can use a new tax credit. Those who work more than 200 hours a year can claim $3,000.

More for mental health

The budget has new money — an extra $30 million — to add 140 more treatment beds for people struggling with mental health and addictions.

Parents with children under six years of age who have autism will see their benefit go up from $4,000 to $6,000.

There’s more money to begin the work of replacing Victoria Hospital in Prince Albert and the Weyburn Hospital.

Seniors get more help with money to replace the Meadow Lake Lodge and extra support for programs to keep them in their homes longer.

Buildings and books

Classroom funding is now fully restored from the cuts made two years ago; the total is at $3.28 billion.

Three communities will get new schools. St. Pius X School and Argyle School, both in Regina, will be replaced, as will St. Frances School in Saskatoon.

And Moose Jaw will get a new joint-use school.

There’s also more money to keep up work on building new schools in Rosthern and Weyburn.

Tuition woes

There’s a chance tuition will go up at universities, colleges and technical schools: Money for advanced education is the same as last year.

But $26 million is being added to support the student loan program; that should help about 18,000 post-secondary students.

The government continues to fund the University of Saskatchewan’s College of Medicine to the tune of $88 million.

On the road

(The Canadian Press)

More than 1,000 kilometres of highway are being repaired or replaced as part of this budget.

And in changes already announced, $13 million is being used to improve signage and sightlines at major intersections. It’s a direct result of the report following the Humboldt Broncos bus crash last April.

Work on twinning and passing lanes will continue on provincial highways. That’s for Highway 7 at Vanscoy; passing lanes at Canora, Melville, Moose Jaw and Rosetown; and, passing lanes for Highway 5 west of Saskatoon.

Labour strife?

Right now, across all government ministries, 34 of 38 collective bargaining agreements still outstanding.

The finance minister said there is room in the budget to resolve those agreements.

A previous version of this story stated $75 million had been set aside to resolve bargaining agreements. That information has been updated to reflect a clarification from the provincial government.