Provincial budget to be tabled February 27

Feb 11, 2020 | 12:44 PM

EDMONTON, AB – Provincial Finance Minister Travis Toews says the budget will be tabled Feb. 27. It will allow enough time for government to debate and pass it before the end of the fiscal year.

In a more vague tone, he also says it will provide “organizations that rely on government funding the time to make informed decisions about their own budgets.”

Over the last several weeks, hundreds of members of the public sector in southern Alberta, including healthcare workers and members of the public, have protested proposed government cuts.

In his first budget last October, Finance Minister Travis Toews announced that the provincial government plans to reduce the overall size of the public sector workforce by 7.7%, which will primarily happen through attrition.

Toews later said the province will be asking arbitrators to impose a 2% wage cut for collective bargaining agreements that are being negotiated between the government and unions.

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“I have listened to the comments that thousands of Albertans have shared with me and I hear your concerns about the need to continue to create jobs and grow the economy,” Toews said Tuesday. “Budget 202 will report on our actions to date and our continue efforts to get Albertans back to work.”

According to a news release, in order to prepare for Budget 2020, the province consulted with 30,000 Albertans through two telephone town halls. Ministers and MLAs have also been meeting with their constituents and sharing their views through an online survey which closed Feb. 7.

by Lara Fominoff