Alberta’s Wildrose party labels Tory spending reckless, offers $48B alternative
Posted Feb 13, 2013 4:21 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
EDMONTON – Alberta’s Opposition Wildrose party and Premier Alison Redford’s government are squaring off once again on how to fund capital projects.
Wildrose Leader Danielle Smith has unveiled a 10-year plan for $48-billion worth of spending for everything from new schools, to roads, hospitals and other facilities.
Smith says their plan is more modest than Redford’s in that it draws out the timeline to build the projects in order to avoid going into debt.
Smith calls Redford’s capital plan“reckless,” noting that Alberta already spends 50 per cent more per person on such projects compared with Ontario and other western provinces.
Deputy premier Thomas Lukaszuk calls the Wildrose spending plan weak given that it doesn’t spell out which capital projects will be delayed or scrapped altogether.
Redford has already announced her government will begin taking on long-term debt to build the infrastructure needed for a rapidly growing province.
