The reviews are in

The Star-Phoenix editorial board slams the Wall government for its short-sighted cuts to Dutch elm disease control:

The Saskatchewan Party government's decision to slash a provincial program to control the spread of Dutch elm disease is another example that it didn't make the hard decisions in trimming its budget.

It made short-sighted decisions that ultimately could prove very costly. The elm program that cost the treasury some $500,000 a year was seen as critical in controlling a disease that could cost millions if allowed to spread out of control.

Saskatchewan has taken a co-ordinated approach over past quarter-century to quickly identify and destroy infected elms before the bark beetle that carries the disease can breed and multiply. It was a strategy deemed much more cost effective than allowing the unchecked loss of trees, as happened in much of the U.S.
...
(T)o nickel and dime programs such as the one to control Dutch elm disease or such proven enterprises as Quint or the Health Quality Council, shows neither foresight nor courage.