THE CANADIAN PRESS
REGINA - The Saskatchewan government is staying in the black against economic odds.
Premier Brad Wall says even though oil prices are a shadow of what they were last summer, potash sales are helping to buoy revenue.
The province's third-quarter fiscal update predicts a budget surplus for 2008-09 of $2.3 billion - unchanged from the mid-year forecast despite falling commodity prices and the global economic recession.
But the surplus is larger than it would have been because the government took $450 million from its rainy-day fund.
The update pegs revenue for the year at just over $12 billion, with overall spending of almost $9.8 billion.
Wall says once fourth-quarter numbers come in, Saskatchewan's finances should still come out about even.
Finance Minister Rod Gantefoer says the province is holding its ground, while others are feeling the "bumps and bruises" of a volatile economy.
