Show Segments

8:30 – The Trudeau government has decreased the amounts of the rebates Canadians will receive from the carbon tax in 2020, and the biggest drop was in Saskatchewan, where the government says a family of four will qualify for $809 in rebates, down significantly from its earlier projections of $903. The feds say the rebates were lowered “based on updated projections of fuel charge proceeds,” but that answer’s not sitting well with many, including Saskatchewan Environment Minister Dustin Duncan, who expressed his disappointment upon seeing the rebates decrease. Todd MacKay with the Canadian Taxpayers’ Federation says Ottawa owes Canadians a better explanation. MacKay says the government should vote on tax increases rather than changing numbers on the fly immediately after an election, and he joins Gormley to discuss the drop in the rebates.

LIVE: Todd MacKay, Prairie Director for the Canadian Taxpayers’ Federation.

9:00 – The Hour of the Big Stories… Open Session

10:00 – Despite the public perception that education funding has been cut back in Canada over recent years, a new study from the right-leaning Fraser Institute shows that there has been an increase in public education spending across Canada, and it’s increased by billions of dollars more than was necessary to offset enrollment growth and inflation. However, in Saskatchewan (along with BC and Newfoundland and Labrador), we saw a drop in real per-student spending between 2012/13 and 2016/17. Saskatchewan’s spending on public schools increased by 12.5% over that period (the highest increase outside of Alberta and Manitoba), but Saskatchewan also saw the second-highest jump in enrollment, at 6.5%. Fraser Institute Executive VP Jason Clemens was a co-author of the study, and he joins Gormley to discuss what we can learn from the study and how Saskatchewan stacks up on public school spending.

LIVE: Jason Clemens, Executive Vice President, Fraser Institute and co-author of the new report on education spending.

11:00 – It’s time for Saskatchewan’s Smartest Radio Listener! Powered by Urban Cellars. Your chance for fame, acclaim and to prove just how smart you are. Not only do you get bragging rights, you’ll win a $50 gift card for Urban Cellars.

11:30 – Tech writer and host Marc Saltzman joins John to talk about the top tech Christmas gifts of 2019.

LIVE: Marc Saltzman, tech journalist, author, TV and radio host.

12:00 – After a quarter-century, Mariah Carey’s hit “All I Want for Christmas is You” has reached the #1 spot on the US charts, the fist time a Christmas song has topped the US charts since “The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t be Late)” reached the top spot in 1958. That’s got us wondering – what’s the best Christmas song of all time? Do you have a favourite, or is there a Christmas tune that you just can’t stand? Give us a call at 1-877-332-8255 and let us know your #1 Christmas song of all time!