EDMONTON – Premier Rachel Notley says her government will stick with its plan despite a budget deficit of almost $11 billion, but will alter course if necessary.
Notley says any changes would be done carefully and prudently so as to avoid making a difficult situation worse.
READ MORE: Notley urges patience as Alberta deals with multi-billion dollar deficit
Notley made the comments to reporters in Edmonton and did not elaborate on what those changes might be.
Low oil prices have decimated Alberta’s bottom line and a fiscal update earlier this week revealed this year’s projected deficit has grown by $500 million to almost $11 billion.
READ MORE: Fort McMurray wildfire adds to Alberta’s climbing deficit
Notley noted the extra cost is due to the Fort McMurray wildfires last spring, which displaced more than 80,000 people.
Watch below: Finance Minister Joe Ceci says the oil price collapse continues to reverberate through Alberta’s economy
She says outside of that, the government’s plan is on track to slowly reduce the deficit while avoiding mass layoffs and service cuts.
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