Saskatchewan Finance Minister Donna Harpauers latest budget might as well have been presented in sky-writing for all the permanence it will have over the coming year, given the provinces rapidly changing circumstances and the unaddressed challenges that will need action before too long.

Rather than continue to tilt against windmills (or solar panels or geothermal wells), Moe must show some true leadership.

Compared to the verbal slugfest that was the 2007 leaders debate, the bout between Scott Moe and Ryan Meili was a civil affair that was long on detail, much of it within the margins of credibility.

Its not been a great week in Saskatchewan politics. Sadly, it will probably get worse as the election nears.

Consider that Saskatchewan hasn't made any progress with tackling its accumulated debt over the past decade, even though the period has been the most prosperous in provincial history. Every penny of revenue, mostly from resources, has been spent as fast it came in, and then some. This budget promises more of the same.

As counterintuitive as the notion might seem when Finance Minister Donna Harpauer is projecting a budget shortfall that could be as high $3.3 billion due to factors beyond the provinces control, its time for the Saskatchewan government to set up a futures fund using a share of natural resource revenues.

TheCOVID-19modelling numbers presentedWednesdayby the Saskatchewan Health Authoritywere eye-popping. The problem is that Saskatchewans modelling is based on three scenarios based on the outcomes in other regions, among them China and Italy, unlike Albertas projections based on data collected within the province.