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.
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She says outside of that, the government’s plan is on track to slowly reduce the deficit while avoiding mass layoffs and service cuts.