Piping You The Latest NSBA News Without Government Bail-Out Since 1973…
Posted on June 4, 2018 in Front Lines
Okay, I get it. The benefits we will see in Saskatoon and Saskatchewan businesses due to the expansion of the Trans Mountain Pipeline will be real and long lasting but the way we got there does not sit well with our membership. At the end of the day we are all still not addressing the underlying problems that led to this conclusion and we are all still at risk of the pipeline not proceeding or proceeding at a cost to taxpayers that could well exceed a market value any private company would be willing to pay.
The message being sent in this nationalization is not great for entities considering investing in Canada now and in the future and while we hope it doesn’t happen again, maybe the new Federal Crown pipeline corporation will be able to build a pipeline going East as well!
For those Saskatoon business owners thinking of retirement, don’t worry about succession plans – next time your business is constrained by political ideology just ask the Federal Liberal government to buy your business as well! Of course, that is absurd – or it should be. The discussion around this will continue for a long time and your NSBA will be monitoring and advocating for business in Saskatoon as this continues to evolve.
On the trade front, this is an extremely important area for our local economy and for your business to be aware of. The speed of activity and the magnitude of impact will vary but there will be an impact on your business directly or indirectly. The NSBA will be seeking your input and formulating advocacy against tariffs that will be in your best interest.
On another note, congratulations to Jeff Jorgenson on the promotion to City Manager for the City of Saskatoon. We look forward to working further with you to make the kinds of changes within the administration that we can all be proud of. If you missed it, Jeff was quoted by Global as saying “…changing the way the city does business is going to be a big part of the next three to five years…”. Your NSBA will frequently be sharing our thoughts with Jeff on the many ways that the city should be doing business.
I wanted to also thank all the participants and sponsors of the NSBA Golf Classic. As always, everyone was enjoying themselves networking, visiting and discussing business issues despite the weather giving us some challenges along the way.
Watch for further and continued action on a number of fronts by your NSBA and please don’t hesitate to contact any of the NSBA staff or Board should you have even a small business concern – you may be surprised with how effective the NSBA is in advocating on your behalf.
Alan Migneault, NSBA Board Chair