Over the weekend, Premier Redford, along with Finance Minister Doug Horner announced the province would borrow money to support infrastructure projects.

The action essentially puts the province in red ink for the first time since the Ralph Klein era, but Redford’s government claims the day-to-day operations will stay in the black.

Opposition Leader Danielle Smith isn’t impressed.

She says Premier Redford has no mandate to take the province into debt, and if that’s her plan she needs to send it to a referendum.

Smith says there was no mention in the spring budget or even the April election campaign to have the government take on debt in order to pay for roads, schools and hospitals.

Further, she chastises the borrowing tactic as poorly timed.

“What an absolute shame that at a time when the country’s honouring Ralph Klein with an Order of Canada for the work that he did — in clearing our deficit and making us debt-free — his PC Party essentially repudiates all of the work that he’d done. It’s an absolute shame,” says Smith.

Smith says a referendum could be held during the 2013 municipal elections to ask Albertans’ permission to send the province into debt.

Finance Minister Doug Horner defends the borrowing as necessary to support the expanding population of the province.