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Time to send American smart meter company packing, says NDP

With the tenth smart meter fire in the province, and SaskPower acknowledging installers need more training, the NDP says the government’s contracting out experiment has failed – it’s time to send the Texas license plates back to Texas.

The government chose to contract out the smart meter project, and allowed the American company it hired to use inexperienced workers with about a week of training instead of qualified electricians. In a move that seemed to acknowledge that the untrained workers are putting themselves, families and homes in danger, a bit of extra training was announced last week.

Doyle Vermette nominated in Cumberland

MLA Doyle Vermette will seek re-election in the constituency of Cumberland in the next provincial election – a constituency he has represented since 2008.

"Doyle is a passionate advocate for Cumberland families and northern Saskatchewan," said NDP Leader Cam Broten. "He’s a tireless fighter for better seniors care, and is dedicated to creating more opportunities for young people. He’s made a lot of gains in those areas, but his work is not done."

6,200 jobs cut from health care and social services

While Saskatchewan people are working harder than ever – and it shows in July’s labour statistics – the government has continued the alarming trend of shedding jobs in health care and social services.

There were 6,200 fewer jobs in the category of health care and social services in July, compared to one year earlier. 2,300 of those jobs were lost in just one month, between June and July, according to Statistics Canada’s July Labour Force Survey, released Friday.

No toxic waste storage above Dalmeny aquifer, demands NDP

In the wake of the devastating British Columbia tailings pond spill, the NDP is calling on the Saskatchewan government to reverse its decision to approve the Fortune Minerals plan which would see toxic waste stored right above a vital aquifer.

The proposed Fortune Minerals processing plant near Langham would generate 158,000 tonnes of toxic waste every year, including cyanide and arsenic. This waste would be stored permanently in pits at the site, right on top of the Dalmeny aquifer, the area's main source of drinking water.

Government failing on smart meter response, says NDP

Government not even trying to recoup costs, taking litigation off the table while SaskPower admits installer training was inadequate.

On another day of silence from the premier and his ministers, SaskPower revealed more concerning details about the response to the multi-million-dollar smart meter fiasco.

NDP Leader Cam Broten says the government has to get its act together and start addressing the smart meter debacle properly, before Saskatchewan people and SaskPower ratepayers are left holding the bag on the $47 million bill to remove the smart meters.

NDP demands government explain SaskPower statement

The NDP is demanding that the government’s silence on its smart meter fiasco end after a statement released by SaskPower seemed to indicate the Crown will be paying to fix the $47 million mistake.

“We will work within our budget to correct the issue,” read the SaskPower statement, in part, released late Tuesday.

NDP Leader Cam Broten said Saskatchewan families want to know what that means.

Broten joins local business owners to call for Buy Local Day

NDP Leader Cam Broten is joining a grassroots movement of Saskatchewan business owners and residents calling on the government to proclaim and promote a monthly Buy Local Day in the province.

“This common sense idea puts Saskatchewan first and promotes economic sustainability in our province,” said Broten. “Even just a small shift in how we support local businesses can have a big ripple effect in our communities and our entire economy.”

Who will pay for the government’s smart meter fiasco?

Contract questions remain outstanding as manufacturer denies responsibility

Saskatchewan families want to know who will pay for the government’s $47 million smart meter fiasco – and a statement released Saturday by the manufacturer of the meters is denying responsibility.

The NDP says the manufacturer’s statement highlights the need for the contract details to be revealed, and for the investigation into the mess to be independent.

NDP calls for truly independent investigation into $47M smart meter fiasco

Saskatchewan's NDP wants a truly independent investigation into the government's $47 million failed smart meter program.

Yesterday, the premier said the government's own Crown Investments Corporation (CIC) would investigate what went wrong. CIC is the government’s holding company for Crown corporations.

"This is literally the government saying it will investigate itself,” said NDP Leader Cam Broten. “It’s ridiculous that the premier calls that an independent investigation – and it appears to be nothing more than a sham meant to distance the premier from this fiasco."