Chat News file photo

By Chantal Wagner

MLA Barnes reacts to provincial budget

Feb 25, 2021 | 5:00 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Cypress-Medicine Hat MLA Drew Barnes highlighted the deficits of this budget when he spoke with CHAT News Thursday afternoon.

He says the main thing government needs to do is to spend less so they can tax less.

Barnes says most departments are consistent with spending or just slightly more.

Except for health, where there’s $900-million more being spent this year in response to COVID.

HOLIDAYS

Medicine Hat Kiwanis hosting Christmas dinner, applications due Friday

1h ago

IN THE COMMUNITY

'Compassionate Friends' offer peer support for bereaved in Medicine Hat

16h ago

POSTAL STRIKE

Donations to Medicine Hat non-profits drop over Canada Post strike

17h ago

“The Alberta Health and AHS part of our budget is around $26-billion, which is 45 percent or so of our spending and at some point, we’ll have to make sure this health care spending doesn’t swamp all of our other important priorities.”

He says Ottawa needs to allow Alberta oil and gas to get to the west coast.

“I want to lay a large part of the blame for $40-billion dollars in debt over two years on Ottawa’s feet. The differential that we get for Alberta oil instead of world price is still $10-$12 per barrel. The fact that we can’t get pipelines to the west coast so we can supply environmentally, ethically produced oil to India, China, Japan, and Asia is criminal for what it’s doing to our people.”

Barnes says down the road Alberta needs to address the debt problem.

Adding that next year the province is budgeting $2.7 billion in interest cost at a point of ultimate low interest rates.