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Bad investments still fill a chapter in Alberta's books
Several pages in the 2014-15 Treasury Board and Finance annual report serve as a grim reminder to government of investments gone bad and the perils of economic diversification and boom-and-bust cycles....
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Alberta's debt tops $11.9B with annual servicing cost of $714M: report
Just a decade after Ralph Klein proclaimed Alberta debt free, the province has racked up debt at a pace that could affect its triple-A credit rating, Moody’s Investors Service says in its July report....
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Bidder says PC government rejected $15M offer for province's aircraft fleet
Jim Prentice’s PC government rejected a $15-million offer to purchase all four planes in its controversial aircraft fleet in favour of a deal that sold only three and continues to cost the province...
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NDP won't make mass cuts to public service, Notley vows
With economists asserting that Alberta is headed towards a recession, if not already in one, Premier Rachel Notley says the NDP government will be laying out an “economic stimulus package” later this...
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Alberta opposition parties call for immediate action to address financial crisis
Alberta’s opposition parties say there are no quick fixes to address the province’s ballooning deficit, but the NDP government must move swiftly to lay out a plan that does more than raise taxes. More...
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Alberta NDP rules out using Heritage Fund to balance books
The NDP government won’t be “playing around” with Alberta’s Heritage Fund as it faces the province’s current fiscal predicament, Premier Rachel Notley said Monday. But with the government poised to...
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NDP under fire from Wildrose and Tories over labour costs
Public sector compensation is set to rise more than $900 million this year, but Alberta Finance Minister Joe Ceci brushed away calls for a wage freeze Wednesday as opposition parties blamed rising...
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NDP rebuffs Wildrose idea of asking unions for voluntary wage freeze
The Opposition Wildrose wants the NDP government to reopen its contracts with public-sector unions in an attempt to cut costs, but Finance Minister Joe Ceci says the idea is a non-starter. While...
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Finance minister says province prepared to lower oil price forecasts if needed
As a new report casts a gloomy light on the Canadian economy and commodity prices, Finance Minister Joe Ceci says the NDP government is prepared to downgrade its oil price forecasts, if necessary. The...
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NDP government defends ad campaign for provincial budget
The NDP government has launched a $736,000 advertising campaign to promote its first provincial budget, but the opposition says taxpayers shouldn’t be supporting government “propaganda.” The television...
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NDP's first budget passes, but opposition bids to cut spending rejected
More than six months after coming into power, the NDP government has passed its first budget. MLAs voted 41-27 to pass third reading of Bill 9, the Appropriation Act, 2015, which authorizes government...
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Bill 6 meeting brings out 500 disgruntled farmers in Bassano
Just as the sun was rising over Strathmore on Saturday, a convoy of pickup trucks and farm equipment was gaining momentum as they drove down the Trans-Canada Highway en route to Bassano. The small...
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Wildrose and Tory MLAs talk conservatism over beers
With talk in the air of provincial conservatives joining forces, some Wildrose and Tory MLAs are uniting — over drinks. Wildrose MLA Derek Fildebrandt and Progressive Conservative MLA Mike Ellis...
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Notley calls $250 million federal grant 'a good start' to addressing...
Ottawa’s decision to send Alberta a $250-million stabilization grant to address the province’s economic crisis is “a good start,” but not enough to offset the effects of the massive collapse of oil...
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Union thinks NDP contemplating wage freeze proposal
With the Notley government preaching the need for spending restraint, Alberta’s biggest public sector union is expecting the NDP to propose a wage freeze in upcoming negotiations. In her televised...
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Notley defends plunge into debt; shrugs off credit rating downgrade
Premier Rachel Notley defended her NDP government’s plunge into debt Friday and shrugged off the downgrade of the province’s AAA credit rating. Notley said the credit downgrade by credit rating agency...
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Ceci on Alberta's lost AAA credit rating: 'I'm going to fight to get it back'
Finance Minister Joe Ceci said Monday he’s ready to battle ratings agencies — but not make budget cuts — to restore Alberta’s AAA credit rating. But the NDP government faced a barrage of criticism from...
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NDP defends spending $750,000 to advertise provincial budget
The cash-strapped NDP government is putting nearly $750,000 towards advertising the provincial budget released last week after spending almost that much to tout the financial plan it brought forward...
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Varcoe: Another day, another credit rating downgrade for hard-luck Alberta
Joe Ceci travelled to Bay Street on Monday to meet with credit rating agencies. The trip didn’t start well for Alberta’s finance minister. Before sitting down with Moody’s Investors Service, the agency...
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Fury in Alberta Legislature after Ontario Premier ridiculed by Wildrose
Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne came to Alberta to talk environment but instead found herself publicly ridiculed on the floor of the legislature as the leader of a failed, debt-ridden enterprise. As...
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