During my last constituency week in Saskatoon-Humboldt, I had coffee shop stops in Middle Lake, Anaheim, and Leroy.  Here are some of the issues that your neighbours brought up with me at these shops.

Questions were raised about how much money was being transferred to municipal governments in this region from the gas tax transfer this year. (A list of the amounts for Saskatoon-Humboldt is on my website bradtrost.ca)

Individual immigration situations were brought to my attention that my office will be assisting with over the next few months.

Concerns were expressed about funds for seniors’ centres and how to fill out forms for grants. Frustrations were also expressed over the complexity of the grants.  Small towns do not have easy access to engineers and technical support. Since larger centres hire the same engineering firms, it is often difficult to find an engineer to complete smaller projects.

Credit and financing for small and medium business was also of concern.  Even though the businesses that I saw on my trip all seem to be doing well, financing problems around lines of credit was one important issue.

Unemployment benefits and issues involving maternity/paternity leave were also brought up in one community.  Concern was expressed that the limits on insurable income during paternity leave were discouraging younger couples from starting their families as soon as they would like. It was also noted that a low birthrate would cause demographic problems in the future.

These were some of the concerns that I heard when I did my latest coffee shop tour.  If you have similar concerns, contact my office.  I need to hear from you if you feel an issue is important and needs attention. If I don’t hear from you on an issue, I may miss an opportunity to represent you, so please remember to call. 

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.