The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Flin Flon MLA Gerard Jennissen is standing up for his party in the face of sharp criticism over the province's dwindling Rainy Day Fund. Official Opposition Leader Stuart Murray has accused the NDP government of mismanaging the fund, stating that the reserve is projected to stand at about $100 million by the end of this fiscal year Ñ some $280 million less than when Premier Gary Doer came to power in 1999. "Clearly Gary Doer doesn't have a revenue problem, he has a spending habit," said Murray in a statement. "Gary Doer's continued use of the Rainy Day Fund has put it at a level where it is no longer able to protect the province in the event of a catastrophe or emergency." In response, Jennissen said the new provincial budget "is going to be extremely tough." "Times are tough, and we have to use money to make sure that things balance and we can keep our programs up," he said. Jennissen added that this criticism comes from "the same Opposition that sold MTS in order to, you know, get a bundle of money for the Rainy Day Fund that they then spend." "We don't go around selling public utilities to upgrade the Rainy Day Fund," said Jennissen.4/13/2004
