EDMONTON –
It’s budget day in Alberta — the last day before a provincial election scheduled for May.
Treasury Secretary Travis Toews will release the spending document when the legislature begins its spring session.
The expectation is another billion-dollar surplus generated by strong oil and gas revenues along with higher payments from maturing oil sands operations.
The province is expected to collect $12.3 billion in the current fiscal year that will end in just over a month.
Premier Danielle Smith’s government has announced a number of new spending initiatives in the budget, including $158 million for physician recruitment and $243 million for primary care.
Opposition NDP finance critic Shannon Phillips says Smith and UCP cannot be trusted on healthcare, as they have failed to match spending with inflation and population growth while battling doctors. and trying to cut nurses’ salaries during the pandemic.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on February 28, 2023
