Declining service

During the Lorne Calvert era, the NDP and Saskatchewan Party engaged in simplistic debates on the merits of crown corporations. Brad Wall used to stand up, get red in the face with veins popping from his neck as if he was about to blow a gasket and shout about the NDP “picking winners and losers”. The NDP’s various responders, whether it be Sonntag, Lautermilch or Calvert himself, always followed the approach that if the private sector could do it better, then the government would not be involved.

In away it was ironic that Wall would issue such voluminous attacks on the Calvert NDP, for if there was ever an NDP administration that supported the private sector this was it. It is not by accident that the most liberal approach to oil and gas development in Canada was ushered in under Calvert’s watch. Perhaps it was the follow out of Spudco in the 1990s, or that the NDP was so fearful of losing that they kowtowed to the cries against nationalization, Calvert’s NDP was not prepared to provide government support to any economic development initiative.

However, Calvert’s NDP did draw the line in the sand in that they continued to support crown corporations that provided a public service. Despite subtle shifts in policy, NDP administrations have long understood that the private sector is not necessarily interested in growing Saskatchewan. For example, not long after SaskOil was privatized and rebranded Wascana Energy, they up and moved their offices to Calgary.

Thus, the NDP continued to support the Saskatchewan Transportation Company. Here was a crown corporation that competed in a competitive industry – an industry that is monopolized by the likes of Greyhound. STC was never profitable. As rural populations shrink, it would never be profitable. STC was often at the centre of debate on whether it should be cut loose, but at the end of the day there was a belief that this was a service that no other would provide.

Brad Wall’s government have taken the opposite approach. STC is a money looser so to hell with rural populations. There decision to cut routes is akin to VIA Rails termination of rail service to places like Regina and Moose Jaw. Now those communities are not services by rail travel, because a region of 250,000 could not support a rail line. Instead you have to go to Duck Mountain to catch the train and Regina has a nice Casino where rail station once stood. Moose Jaw, a city built on rail service, continues its decline. STC’s decline will hurt rural and hard to reach communities.

But what should one expect from a government strapped for cash? When you base your budget on the volatility of resource prices, eventually you will come up short. But it will be the poor people who pay for the Saskatchewan Party’s incompetency. It is not people with money who ride the STC buses. And by “people with money” I mean anyone who has a car. If people have cars, they do not need buses. Unfortunately in a place like Saskatchewan, where so many communities are spread out, not everyone has a car. This just means people who are less fortunate will not have the resources to visit friends, families, and small communities.

STC was never about making money. STC was about servicing communities.