You could almost hear Islanders choke on their spoonful of mashed potato as Premier Robert Ghiz outlined his case for fiscal restraint during his annual State of the Island Speech.
The speech is the premier’s opportunity to lay the groundwork for the spring budget. It is traditionally a good news event. But this time around even Robert Ghiz couldn’t ignore the financial pickle our province finds itself in.
Our collective provincial debt is $2 billion. Our deficit has soared to $73 million (it is likely to hit $100 million by the time the budget rolls around) and after years of squandering record federal transfers the gravy train is coming to a sudden halt.
In response the premier is doing what premiers always do. He is blaming others, namely the federal government. It’s a weak argument. Federal transfers rose from $517 million in 2007-2008 to $553 million in 08-09 and $624 in 2010-2011.

Barak Obama used soaring rhetoric and his presidential bully pulpit, the State of the Union address, to fire a shot across the bow of educators everywhere. In front of an audience of tens of millions the president did what few elected politicians dare. He urged a renewed focus on subjects such as the arts and pleaded with educators to ‘stop teaching to the test.’
He was referring to a growing epidemic of reliance on standardized tests. There is precious little independent evidence to support the notion they actually improve the education of our children. Standardized tests do offer the education bureaucracy a buffer zone from accountability and sap precious financial resources from the classroom.
Obama could very well have been talking to Prince Edward Island. Only our problems run much deeper than a love affair with standardized tests.

Barak Obama used soaring rhetoric and his presidential bully pulpit, the State of the Union address, to fire a shot across the bow of educators everywhere. In front of an audience of tens of millions the president did what few elected politicians dare. He urged a renewed focus on subjects such as the arts and pleaded with educators to ‘stop teaching to the test.’
He was referring to a growing epidemic of reliance on standardized tests. There is precious little independent evidence to support the notion they actually improve the education of our children. Standardized tests do offer the education bureaucracy a buffer zone from accountability and sap precious financial resources from the classroom.
Obama could very well have been talking to Prince Edward Island. Only our problems run much deeper than a love affair with standardized tests.

The fact the Ghiz government is now finally admitting the former Ocean Choice fish plant will not reopen in Souris is of little comfort to the 300 employees facing termination of unemployment benefits in a matter of weeks.
The admission should come as no surprise. There is no doubting the Ghiz government hoped the plant would reopen. Hope doesn’t create jobs or sell product. The reality of the fishing industry spoke differently. It’s a reality the hollow words that elected Liberal politicians ignored for the past year.

The fact the Ghiz government is now finally admitting the former Ocean Choice fish plant will not reopen in Souris is of little comfort to the 300 employees facing termination of unemployment benefits in a matter of weeks.
The admission should come as no surprise. There is no doubting the Ghiz government hoped the plant would reopen. Hope doesn’t create jobs or sell product. The reality of the fishing industry spoke differently. It’s a reality the hollow words that elected Liberal politicians ignored for the past year.

In the dying days of the October 3 provincial election Premier Robert Ghiz needed to buy votes in Tignish. He promised a ‘minimum’ $50,000 annual investment in the Tignish Health Co-op, which struggles to raise money to simply maintain the building.
The co-op is the only facility of its kind in the province that must finance its own operations and the premier’s promise gave the impression of immediacy. He offered no inclination that the necessary cash infusion would be caught up in a budgetary maze.
That is exactly what happened after the Liberals were returned to office. Suddenly the premier’s promise became far less specific. Now the $50,000 is simply another potential line item fighting for survival in what is guaranteed to be a brutal spring budget.
The Tignish Health Co-op will have to wait.
Health care providers must wait.
Residents of West Prince must wait.

In the dying days of the October 3 provincial election Premier Robert Ghiz needed to buy votes in Tignish. He promised a ‘minimum’ $50,000 annual investment in the Tignish Health Co-op, which struggles to raise money to simply maintain the building.
The co-op is the only facility of its kind in the province that must finance its own operations and the premier’s promise gave the impression of immediacy. He offered no inclination that the necessary cash infusion would be caught up in a budgetary maze.
That is exactly what happened after the Liberals were returned to office. Suddenly the premier’s promise became far less specific. Now the $50,000 is simply another potential line item fighting for survival in what is guaranteed to be a brutal spring budget.
The Tignish Health Co-op will have to wait.
Health care providers must wait.
Residents of West Prince must wait.

If you need further proof of the Ghiz government’s failed rural development strategy, Minister Ron MacKinley delivered it in spades with his defense of precious rural funds being used to build a Charlottetown parking lot.
It is discouraging to watch MacKinley’s transition from the voice of common sense to the voice of lockstep support for government initiatives, regardless of how failed or stupid they are.
There was a time when Ron MacKinley would criticize the building of dirt mounds in Borden for the waste they are. Now he argues he had nothing to do with the project even though he was minister in charge of the purse strings.
The old Ron MacKinley would never support using money earmarked for rural PEI in Charlottetown, especially from a fund with only a total $27.5 million to spend over six years.

If you need further proof of the Ghiz government’s failed rural development strategy, Minister Ron MacKinley delivered it in spades with his defense of precious rural funds being used to build a Charlottetown parking lot.
It is discouraging to watch MacKinley’s transition from the voice of common sense to the voice of lockstep support for government initiatives, regardless of how failed or stupid they are.
There was a time when Ron MacKinley would criticize the building of dirt mounds in Borden for the waste they are. Now he argues he had nothing to do with the project even though he was minister in charge of the purse strings.
The old Ron MacKinley would never support using money earmarked for rural PEI in Charlottetown, especially from a fund with only a total $27.5 million to spend over six years.

You have to wonder who is in charge of PEI’s finances. In theory it’s Finance Minister Wes Sheridan. He broke news to Islanders that our budget deficit has soared $30 million to a whopping $73 million. It is quite possible the deficit could hit $100 million by the time the fiscal year is complete March 31.
In breaking the news just prior to Christmas the finance minister took a typically positive approach. He bragged that the Island’s deficit as a percentage of the total government budget of $1.5 billion is reasonably small in comparison to other provincial deficits.
It’s a form of logic we’ve heard before from Island governments not prepared to deal with fiscal realities. It’s also a form of logic that fuelled the current crisis unfolding in Europe.