Prentice promises no union wage hikes as polls suggest 3-way race

EDMONTON – Premier Jim Prentice is promising to axe boards and commissions and to demand wage freezes from unionized staff should his Progressive Conservative team win the Alberta election.

Prentice, speaking to an audience in Red Deer Wednesday, reiterated the government plan to implement a three-year wage freeze for managers and promised three-year hiring restraint measures.

There will also be more controls on severance packages and public disclosure of salaries to managers in Alberta Health Services as well as those in universities, on school boards and in other agencies.

He said there will be new efficiency teams in government departments to root out waste and redundancy.

And Prentice said his government will cut 80 of 320 agencies, boards, and commissions by the end of the fiscal year.

“Every dollar that is misspent reinforces in our minds that we have work to do, that we must do a better job managing government,” said Prentice.

Prentice’s announcement comes as opinion polls suggest a three-way race among his Progressive Conservative team, the NDP and the Wildrose party in the election.

Prentice called the election a year earlier than was mandated by law, saying he needed the endorsement of voters to implement his budget and long-term plan for managing Alberta’s economy.

His budget hikes taxes while running a $5-billion deficit and trimming or holding the line on departmental spending.

NDP Leader Rachel Notley said the hiring restraint is the wrong decision for a growing population.

“Today, Jim Prentice has chosen to again target front line health and education services and workers,” said Notley.

“Our schools and hospitals are already stretched to the limit.”

In a news release, the Wildrose party called Prentice’s announcement vague, noting it doesn’t say which boards will be axed and does not calculate how much money will be saved.

The Wildrose also noted that the PCs had previously frozen manager wages only to reverse that decision last year before Prentice took office.

Earlier Wednesday, Wildrose Leader Brian Jean released to reporters freedom of information documents that show that the province has paid out $60 million in severance over the last three years alone.

About $31 million of that was in government departments, with another $28 million in Alberta Health Services.

Also Wednesday, Notley released freedom of information documents that reveal the number of red alerts for ambulances has spiked over the last two years.

Red alerts indicate situations when no ambulance is available to respond to emergency calls.

Notley said the situation will only get worse given that Prentice, in his budget, has promised to cut $1 billion from the health budget.

The PCs, in a news release, said the red alerts happen for just seconds or minutes at a time and that patient safety is never in jeopardy.

Liberal Leader David Swann unveiled his party’s five-point plan to strengthen cities, including separate charters for Edmonton and Calgary to help them manage growth.