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Be careful of false signs of spring and elections

Weyburn Review editorial

Some people think that spring may be imminent, given the spring-like weather that the Weyburn region has been experiencing lately — but as anyone who has lived in Saskatchewan for any length of time can attest to, these are mostly false signs.

March has only begun, and the short snow squalls that hit the area on Monday are evidence that it is not too late for Old Man Winter to still give us a dose of the white stuff and cold temperatures before spring actually arrives here.

The question could also be raised in a political sense. Are we seeing signs of an early election in Saskatchewan?

The rumours have been making the rounds that this is possible, but rumours are a dime a dozen. Sometimes they’re just trial balloons, released so they can watch the reaction and determine what to do next.

One possible “election sign” was a visit by the premier, Scott Moe, to both Weyburn and Estevan on Friday, complete with a Sask Party photographer and videographer to record the events.

In Estevan, a $10 million fund was announced to help that community (along with Coronach) deal with the oncoming shutdown of the coal mines that are such a vital part of their local economies.

Here in Weyburn, they met city council, and had a feel-good tour of the new Legacy Park Elementary School and the Weyburn Recreation and Culture Centre, both under construction right now.

There weren’t any new dollars or announcements here, but the premier did pass on an assurance that the new hospital that has been promised to Weyburn for several years now will in fact be built. When it will be built is anyone’s guess, but he said more than once that it will be done.

There is a budget to be released by the government in a few weeks that may shed light on this, and if there is going to be a snap election this spring, one guess is it could come shortly after that budget is brought down.

Pay attention to the other signs, just like in springtime. For spring to really get here, there are signs like robins and geese arriving back from the south, not to mention the appearance of pussywillows and crocus flowers.

In the political world, watch what is in the budget — if there are lots of goodies designed to make people happy, like say a new hospital for Weyburn, then you can be sure the election call isn’t far away. If it’s a “hold-the-line” prudent sort of budget, then the election will be held in October as originally planned and set in legislation.

The election is coming, it’s just a question of when, and how much it will cost us.