Rural areas hurt

The Saskatchewan Party government’s privatization plans for 40 liquor stores include 36 in rural communities.

These stores generated $32.6 million in revenue in 2014. Profits from these sales will now go to the private sector, and we, the taxpayers, will have to make up the shortfall.

What the Wall government does not want made clear are the financial and human costs to our rural communities.

We are told that about 150 employees who are earning about $6 million in wages are losing their government jobs.

How many will be exercising their seniority rights and moving away from small towns that already are reeling from the loss of elevators, banks, post offices and schools and hospital closures?

How many of those workers do not have enough seniority, and their families will be separated from their government paycheques and will be facing minimum wage employment or no jobs at all?

While most of these rural communities will no doubt lose at least some families, they will also end up with abandoned store buildings. There are no guarantees the privateers will use the existing buildings. Abandoned buildings mean lost property taxes for communities that already face shrinking tax bases.

Residents in these towns, as a matter of protest, should consider letting those businesses that submit Requests for Proposals know that residents would not purchase liquor or other products from them, should they be awarded the licence to sell liquor in their establishments. Joyce Neufeld, Waldeck