Ministers gather in Banff to discuss the economy

Alberta cabinet ministers will spend three days in Banff this week to hash out the upcoming session and, more importantly, talk about the province’s fiscal picture.

Cabinet will spend Tuesday night through Friday in the mountains, discussing the budget, the economy, the premier’s recent pipeline tour, and how to go about “compassionate belt-tightening.”

The retreat will be held at the Juniper Hotel, costing $37,000.

Finance Minister Joe Ceci said it’s a chance for ministers to spend 2-1/2 days talking about nothing but “keeping the economy firing on all cylinders.”

He’s not particularly concerned about the optics of cabinet staying in Banff.

“The focus is not on the locale,” Ceci said.

A good chunk of that work will be on the budget.

Ceci is in the midst of pre-budget consultations across Alberta, with two telephone town halls scheduled for the beginning of February.

The focus there will be pulling back on capital spending so government can formulate a path back to balance, Ceci said.

The province’s latest fiscal plan has Alberta hitting a $10.3-billion deficit in the 2017-18 fiscal year, shrinking to $9.7 billion in 201819, then $7.2 billion in 2019-20.

Ceci said Alberta remains on track to hit those numbers.