The Saskatchewan government wrapped up a joint cabinet meeting with their counterparts in Manitoba last week.
The meeting between members of the Saskatchewan Party government and the Manitoba NDP government of Premier Greg Selinger took place in Brandon. They wrapped up Feb. 11 with announcements of three memorandums of understanding between both provinces on electricity, transportation and emergency response.
The meetings went on without Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall, however. He was not able to attend due to illness. Saskatchewan's Deputy Premier Ken Krawetz joined Selinger for the conference call with reporters on Friday.
"We've had the opportunity to continue our discussions on a number of initiatives that were begun in Yorkton", said Krawetz in reference to last year's summit, "and today we see the fruit of that. We will see the signing of memorandums that will allow us to move forward on so many fronts."
"We think the meetings have been very productive," said Selinger, "because within one year we have been able to come together on three MOUs for three areas of activity."
On hand for the news conference were ministers from the respective cabinets who signed the MOUs for electricity, transportation and emergency response.
The two provinces believe the MOU on electricity transmission will lead to an increased flow of electrical power between the two provinces. In a joint news release, Saskatchewan and Manitoba say the agreement will see SaskPower and Manitoba Hydro co-operate to increase electrical supply, security and reliability, while enhancing economic development and green energy in the provinces. Selinger said the agreement speaks to the long-term growth of the Western economy, with Krawetz noting Saskatchewan's responsibility to meet its energy needs.
The MOU on transportation was touted as allowing for a greater flow of goods and services between the provinces, with both jurisdictions committing to harmonize transportation policies and regulations between the two.
Selinger said that by making the agreement, "we can let the trucking industry flow more readily between the two jurisdictions." Among other items, truckers will no longer have to remove weight from their trucks at the border in order to meet differing weight requirements once the harmonization comes into effect.
As well, the two provinces signed an agreement on emergency response, touted by the officials as something that will serve the provinces well during a time of crisis, particularly with respect to flooding.
Flooding was a major topic of discussion for the two provinces, as both Saskatchewan and Manitoba were especially hard hit by flood issues in 2010. Both face a high risk of spring runoff flooding in 2011. The two governments said issues of flood support and prevention strategies were areas where the provinces could work together.
