Lethbridge won’t host any budget planning sessions

Albertans are being invited to help the government write the next provincial budget.

Public input sessions are being held across the province over coming weeks. But this year, none is planned for the Lethbridge region.

Alberta Treasury officials say residents of southwestern Alberta could travel to Medicine Hat or Calgary to make their voices heard. Or they could submit written comments online by Feb. 8.

Pre-budget meetings, launched by the previous Progressive Conservative government, have attracted southern Alberta participation for many years. But this year, treasury board and finance department spokesperson Mike Brown says, the hearings will be concentrated mainly in the Edmonton area.

“I wouldn't read too much into it,” Brown says. “We still want feedback from Lethbridge.”

Southern Albertans will also be invited to take part in a “telephone town hall” with Premier Rachel Notley and Finance Minister Joe Ceci on Jan. 31, he adds.

For his face-to-face sessions, however, Ceci will spend much of his time at meetings in Edmonton and nearby communities including Stony Plain, Redwater and Vegreville. Further north, he’ll also touch down in Fairview and Grande Prairie.

Outside of northern Alberta, the minister’s only stops will be in Red Deer, Medicine Hat and Calgary.

“These are still challenging economic times and I would like to hear from Albertans about their priorities and ideas on how to best meet their needs without increasing costs or affecting front-line services,” Ceci says, inviting participation.

“We saw some promising signs of economic stability leading into the new year, but there is still a lot of work to do as we prepare for the next budget.”

But low prices for crude oil continue to hamper Alberta’s financial growth, Ceci points out. As result, he’s projecting a deficit of $10.8 billion for the 2016-17 fiscal year.

While revenue from the province’s new carbon levy is expected to hit $248 million for the current fiscal year, about $95 million will be returned as rebates to Alberta households by the end of March with an expected $435 million to follow in fiscal 2017-18.

The current capital plan is expected to reach $8.4 billion by the end of the current fiscal year, he adds.

Albertans unable to travel to a public session or to take part in a call-in event may submit their views and concerns online at www.alberta.ca/budgetconsultations.aspx