Saskatchewan's plan to spend $1.15 billion on the Diefenbaker irrigation project to benefit a small group of farmers fails any cost-benefit analysis.

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Who does the Diefenbaker irrigation project benefit? It’s a question Saskatchewan taxpayers have to be asking this year as the provincial government proceeds with one of the largest public projects in Saskatchewan’s history.

It is obvious that Saskatchewan taxpayers receive no direct benefits from the project, despite their footing the bill. With development costs of $1.15 billion, and another billion in annual expenses over the project’s 50-year life, tax revenues returned to the province amount to just $592.9 million in the best case scenario.

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In short, the project offers Saskatchewan a massive fiscal loss.

The government may attempt to cover this loss by seeking funding from local producers. Local producers themselves should be wary of attempts by the government to extract funding.

According to the government’s economic analysis, the 90,000-acre region........

© Saskatoon StarPhoenix