The provincial government released its mid-year report today and projected a deficit almost $400 million lower than expected.
Earlier this year, the provincial government forecasted a $2.4 billion deficit but today’s report showed that to be sitting around $2 billion, an improvement of $381.5 million from this year’s budget.
Revenue projections also saw an increase, to the tune of $503.5 million, or 3.7 per cent from the provincial budget announcement.
“The increase from budget is due to higher federal transfers, higher government business enterprise net income and higher non-renewable resource revenue,” a statement from the Ministry of Finance said.
Tax revenues were projected to decrease by $41.2 million as a reduction in the small business tax rate was factored in. Other tax and own-source revenue forecasts were unchanged from the budget.
Expenses were forecasted to be $16.2 billion, an increase of $122 million, or 0.8 per cent. The increase covered money for the health, education, municipal and tourism sectors and was partly offset by lower-than-budgeted pension expenses and crop insurance claims expenses.
The mid-year forecast included the impacts of the government’s election commitments, totalling $91.7 million.
Finance Minister Donna Harpauer said $260 million was set aside as contingency, which she said is a substantial cushion that’s built in for the remaining six months of the year. She said data from the first six months of the year will help guide the province through the remainder of the year.
She noted that the contingencies are set aside to protect the healthcare system and said the province will do “whatever it takes” to ensure the system is supported through the COVID-19 pandemic.
“There is no way to say what the magic number will be … compensation salaries is going to be a big part of that, and that is something that we couldn’t pre-pay,” Harpauer said on Friday.
“At 160 million, that will deal with quite a bit of that pressure for the next few months.”
In reflecting on the numbers, Harpauer said she was pleased to see the provincial economic indicators were stronger than what was initially anticipated.
She said she’s concerned because the province is reliant on two items in particular: consumer confidence and trade. Consumer confidence is affected by COVID-19 numbers, she said, and because the province is trade-dependant, Saskatchewan is heavily affected by what happens in other jurisdictions in Canada and around the world.
“I will always have a nervousness for those two factors because they will affect this budget in a big way,” Harpauer said.
Drop in public and net debt
The ministry said public and net debt are both down compared to the budget’s forecasts.
Estimates showed Saskatchewan’s net debt-to-GDP ratio, as of March 31, 2021, would be at 19.6 per cent, one of the lowest in the country, and the ministry touted Saskatchewan’s credit rating as the second-highest in Canada.
“Saskatchewan’s economy has performed better than originally anticipated in the June 2020 budget,” Harpauer said in the provncial release.
“Real GDP is forecast to decline 5.0 per cent, compared to a decline of 6.3 per cent forecast at budget. Saskatchewan’s unemployment rate was the lowest in Canada in October and total employment, on an unadjusted basis, is nearing pre-pandemic levels. As a result, our planned path to balance in 2024-25 is unchanged.”
TORONTO – Strength in the base metal and technology sectors helped Canada’s main stock index gain almost 100 points on Friday, while U.S. stock markets also climbed higher.
The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 93.51 points at 23,568.65.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 297.01 points at 41,393.78. The S&P 500 index was up 30.26 points at 5,626.02, while the Nasdaq composite was up 114.30 points at 17,683.98.
The Canadian dollar traded for 73.61 cents US compared with 73.58 cents US on Thursday.
The October crude oil contract was down 32 cents at US$68.65 per barrel and the October natural gas contract was down five cents at US$2.31 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was up US$30.10 at US$2,610.70 an ounce and the December copper contract was up four cents US$4.24 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
OTTAWA – Statistics Canada says wholesale sales, excluding petroleum, petroleum products, and other hydrocarbons and excluding oilseed and grain, rose 0.4 per cent to $82.7 billion in July.
The increase came as sales in the miscellaneous subsector gained three per cent to reach $10.5 billion in July, helped by strength in the agriculture supplies industry group, which rose 9.2 per cent.
The food, beverage and tobacco subsector added 1.7 per cent to total $15 billion in July.
The personal and household goods subsector fell 2.5 per cent to $12.1 billion.
In volume terms, overall wholesale sales rose 0.5 per cent in July.
Statistics Canada started including oilseed and grain as well as the petroleum and petroleum products subsector as part of wholesale trade last year, but is excluding the data from monthly analysis until there is enough historical data.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was up more than 150 points in late-morning trading, helped by strength in the base metal and energy sectors, while U.S. stock markets were mixed.
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 172.18 points at 23,383.35.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 34.99 points at 40,826.72. The S&P 500 index was up 10.56 points at 5,564.69, while the Nasdaq composite was up 74.84 points at 17,470.37.
The Canadian dollar traded for 73.55 cents US compared with 73.59 cents US on Wednesday.
The October crude oil contract was up $2.00 at US$69.31 per barrel and the October natural gas contract was up five cents at US$2.32 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was up US$40.00 at US$2,582.40 an ounce and the December copper contract was up six cents at US$4.20 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
