Response from Industry and Resources

Ruling by Information Commissioner

REGINA: Information obtained by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) through Freedom of Information confirms the province's politically motivated "Our Future is Wide Open" is $1.5 million over budget after just twelve months.

"The only thing "wide open" in Saskatchewan is the budget for partisan campaign advertising," said CTF Saskatchewan director David MacLean. "This campaign poignantly illustrates the unbridled financial mismanagement and rampant secrecy going on throughout government. In only the first of a three-year campaign, they have exceeded their budget by 38 per cent. The only measure of success for this campaign is that it helped re-elect the NDP."

According to documents obtained by the CTF:

The province has spent $5,527,581 on the campaign to date
$2,664,000 (48 per cent) was spent in Saskatchewan
Government hiding behind Freedom of Information legislation
Despite repeated formal requests for the original budget (dated before November 4), Industry and Resources refuses to disclose the information.

"There are only two things to conclude from the government's refusal to come clean with taxpayers," said MacLean. "Either a budget for the program never existed in the first place, or they are so dramatically over budget they are embarrassed to reveal it."

News reports: The budget is 'wide open'

Regina Leader Post headline (November 5, 2002): "Gov't spending $2 million to lure people, money"
Regina Leader Post (July 18, 2003): "According to Debbie Wilkie, Industry and Resources Department Spokesperson-$2 million was budgeted for the first year of the program-[a]nother $2 million was budgeted for the 2003-04 fiscal year that began April 1. (It's now expected spending in 2003-04 will be $2.5 million)."
Time for government to come clean
" It's time the government comes clean on how much they originally planned to spend, and how much they will spend in future," said MacLean. "If current spending rates continue, this campaign will cost $17.5 million. People have a right to know how their money is being spent. Again, what are they hiding "