Saskatchewan finance minister says budget update will come Friday

REGINA – Saskatchewan Finance Minister Kevin Doherty says he will present a first-quarter budget update on Friday.

Doherty says it’s too soon to know what impact a drought in southwestern Saskatchewan might have on budget numbers.

He says there’s no question the area is in distress, but producers in other regions are reporting better-than-expected yields given the conditions.

Agriculture has been helping the Saskatchewan government’s bottom line in the last couple of years — bumper crops have boosted the books while oil and gas prices fell.

The budget delivered in March was — by Premier Brad Wall’s own description— unpopular with voters because of cuts that were made to help tackle a $1.3-billion deficit.

The government ended up reversing cuts to libraries, community-based organizations and to poor people for funeral services.