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.
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