The Alberta government will table its provincial budget on Thursday afternoon.
Finance Minister Travis Toews has said the budget will focus on COVID-19 pandemic aid along with getting the economy back on its feet. Last year’s projected deficit was $6.8 billion but it has since tripled to $21 billion while taxpayer-supported debt has ballooned to $97 billion.
Premier Jason Kenney said Tuesday that while Alberta has been “sideswiped by the triple black swan” of the global recession, collapse in energy prices and the COVID-19 pandemic, now is not the time to cut billions of dollars in spending.
Kenney said the province’s focus in Thursday’s budget is investing in health care and jobs.
The information in the provincial budget is embargoed until Toews rises in the house to table the budget.
Global News will have robust coverage online beginning the minute the embargo is lifted, shortly after 3 p.m.
You can watch the finance minister’s budget speech live online beginning at around 3:15 p.m. The speech will be livestreamed in this post, so be sure to bookmark this page.
As soon as the embargo lifts, several stories will be published, breaking down everything you need to know about the budget.
Stories will include a full outline of the budget, a quick look at the highlights and what’s in the budget for the province’s major cities.
All of the stories will be shared on Facebook and Twitter as soon as the embargo lifts.
Global News at 5 and Global News Hour at 6 in all Alberta markets will have extensive budget coverage off the top of the newscast.
Global News at 11 across Alberta will also be packed with post-budget coverage for the late-night viewers
For all of your Alberta budget needs, head to Global News’ dedicated Alberta budget webpage.
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