The Alberta budget is set to be tabled Thursday afternoon, and the City of Calgary wants to see a provincial plan to lower costs for Albertans and more investment to boost growth.
The document is expected to include an income tax cut, but a lower surplus than the original $4.6 billion announced back in November.
That’s would likely be due to lower oil prices and the threat of U.S. tariffs.
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As for the cut, Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek is concerned that the province could be offloading costs onto municipalities to make it happen.
“If you are cutting supports to people with disabilities, if you are cutting supports to people who are low income, if you are cutting supports to cities and municipalities and expecting us to make up the shortfall so you can do an income tax cut, that is not a good deal for anybody,” she said Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Deborah Yedlin, president and CEO of Calgary’s Chamber of Commerce, said this budget needs to contain a strategy for growth, which is critical in the face of looming U.S. tariffs.
“We would like to see a long cycle view taken to the budget to make sure that we support the economic growth and diversification of Alberta’s economy,” she said.
Finance Minister Nate Horner is expected to table the document shortly after 3 p.m.
Ahead of budget day, he said addressing affordability is a priority, but tariff uncertainty makes it a challenge.
He said revenue could drop by $1 billion or more if tariffs come into effect.
There are a set of scenarios that the United Conservative government will put into motion if they become a reality, Horner said.
With files from Jordan Kanygin and the Canadian Press
