Bypass emails troubling sign of too-insular Sask. Party government

Think back a year to what were the Saskatchewan Party’s first steps on its rather uphill march toward renewal of its government.

Such treks are never easy on the stiff joints of aging governments. And this journey during the Sask. Party leadership was especially difficult because outgoing premier Brad Wall and his government were still popular.

Nevertheless, with rising debt, deficit budgets, increasing taxes, cuts to government services and growing spending scandals like the Global Transportation Hub (GTH) and the $1.9-billion Regina bypass, a long, soul-searching walk was badly needed.

A lot of Sask. Party leadership hopefuls took that walk seriously.

The campaigns of Gord Wyant and Tina Beaudry-mellor clearly took a hard look at the need to maintain the Sask. Party’s coalition of Liberals and Progressive Conservatives centred on the notion of providing competent government. Even then-economy minister Jeremy Harrison’s short-lived campaign offered serious criticism of Bill Boyd’s handling of the GTH.

And now-premier Scott Moe addressed problems like education funding, taxation and even the GTH scandal.

However, one notable exception was the campaign of Alanna Koch, which emphasized the Wall-status-quo approach moreso than other camps. Perhaps it wasn’t mere coincidence that Wall’s then deputy minister seemed most determined to maintain things the way they were.

In Tuesday’s question period, the NDP Opposition unveiled a series of Regina bypass-related emails it obtained through freedom of information requests — largely centred on what the Opposition deemed a lack of appropriate government response to problems with the bypass, including allegations that wide farm equipment sometimes struggled to negotiate a roundabout near Balgonie.

“I continue to hear a lot from farmers and other locals,” Koch, then Wall’s DM, wrote in an Aug. 2, 2017, email to the deputy minister of highways. “This has taken on an urban myth hysteria as farmers rage about not being able to move combines and haul grain with Super B trucks. When speaking with locals, neighbours and relatives, I’m trying to quell the hysteria by saying nearly all vehicles are currently accommodated and adjustments will be made to the entranceway and curbs to fit wider farm equipment.”

About two months later, the Highways Ministry wrote to the bypass limited partnership suggesting “the design and construction of the Balgonie roundabouts to be non-compliant” and demanded it take action. By that time, Koch had taken a leave of absence from her job to run for premier — a leadership campaign that was less critical of the Wall government than any other.

In fairness, Koch’s email was about what one might expect in her role as troubleshooting deputy to the premier. But to simply fob off anyone’s legitimate concerns as “urban myth hysteria” says something about the government mindset at the time.

There may have been serious soul-searching during the leadership process, but it now seems the Sask. Party government is backsliding into old, bad habits of dismissing legitimate criticism to justify its spending choices.

On Thursday in question period, the NDP released more emails obtained through FOI showing some 1,100 “minor deficiencies” identified in Phase 1 of the bypass, including the “minor deficiency” of trucks and farm equipment not being able to negotiate the Balgonie roundabout.

Agriculture Minister David Marit told the NDP to “go talk” to the residents of Balgonie who are happy with the bypass. Asked what a “major deficiency” would then be, Marit told the NDP that the Wascana Creek aquifer had been breached, but he “doesn’t care” because the cost of fixing it was paid for by bypass partners, not taxpayers. Really? How is “we don’t care if we hit an aquifer” ever a good government answer?

The $1.9-billion project is now four times more than the initial cost estimate, yet the Sask. Party is offering the same kind of flippant public responses as were in Koch’s emails that called bypass criticisms “urban myth hysteria.”

It makes one wonder if the Sask. Party’s long, tough leadership journey was all for naught.