Well with the summer gone, and the House of Commons sitting again, it’s time for me to start up my weekly column (at least until the Liberals/NDP/Bloc force another election).

This week, I thought I would update you on some things that I heard in the riding throughout the summer.

While the infrastructure grants (sewers, water systems, roads, arena upgrades) were very popular this summer, a couple of points were noted. It is a hardship on small communities to have to do engineering for a project before it is known whether or not it will be approved for a grant. Therefore, it was suggested that the federal government be more flexible in its program requirements for communities under a certain size.

At the beginning of the summer, I received considerable feedback on my stance on funding for Toronto’s Pride parade. A few people from Saskatoon criticized my stance, but several times as many people (both in Saskatoon and in the smaller communities) thanked me for what I said. The reasons why people supported my stance varied; some thought the money was being wasted; others were opposed to the message that the parade was promoting.

General concerns about the national economy were raised. Saskatchewan (it was noted) was doing well. But the pork and beef sectors are struggling and they are very important to the province and the region. (The federal government did announce a program to help pork producers this August.)

There were other issues brought up this summer but these were the main ones.

I’m Brad Trost, your Member of Parliament in Saskatoon-Humboldt.  You can call my office in Saskatoon at 975-6133 or drop by our two offices to visit: Saskatoon Monday-Friday or Humboldt Tuesday and Wednesday. I always appreciate your feedback.