Thursday, March 28, 2024
ADVT 
National

Big Spender: Alberta Panel Says Savings To Be Found In Health, Education Changes

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 03 Sep, 2019 07:50 PM

    CALGARY - A panel looking into Alberta's finances says the province habitually overspends on its services and needs to get tough on schools, have university students pay more and force doctors to charge less.

     

    The panel, chaired by former Saskatchewan finance minister Janice MacKinnon, says in a report that Alberta's annual expenditures would be $10.4 billion less if the province were to spend the same per person as do British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec.

     

    It says that if Alberta matched the other provinces, it would have a $3.7-billion surplus this year instead of a $6.7-billion deficit.

     

    Alberta's spending per capita is the highest in Canada, the report adds. And its debt is on track to reach $100 billion in four years.

     

    To balance the budget by 2022-23, as the United Conservative government has promised, the panel suggests there be no increases in government spending for four years and a reduction in operating costs by at least $600 million, as well as cuts in capital spending.

     

    "The seriousness of the financial challenge is undeniable," says the report released Tuesday.

     

    "This is a significant challenge and will require the government to rethink how and what services are delivered."

     

    Premier Jason Kenney ordered the report shortly after his United Conservatives were elected in April.

     

    Among its 26 recommendations are sweeping reviews of health care and education.

     

    The report recommends making greater use of private or not-for-profit clinics to deliver health services that don't need to be done in hospitals. It suggests limiting the costs doctors charge for services and using legislation if new fees can't be negotiated.

     

    The report calls for cuts to administration and governance costs in education and funding incentives for school boards based on better educational outcomes

     

    It recommends ending a tuition freeze for post-secondary students and suggests "the government should move quickly to address the future of those post-secondary institutions that do not appear to be viable in future funding scenarios."

     

    When it comes to public-sector bargaining, the report says there needs to be salary restraint across government and legislation should be used to set wage levels.

     

    Finance Minister Travis Towes said he will use the report as he prepares to table the UCP's first budget in October.

     

    "We must act now," Towes said. "Future generations and Albertans today are counting on us to make the decisions that will put us back on a solid fiscal path."

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Wanted: Man Believed To Be Tied To Lower Mainland Gang Conflict

    Vancouver Police are appealing for help to find 45-year-old Romano Martodihardjo, currently wanted Canada-wide for firearms offences and possession of stolen property.

    Wanted: Man Believed To Be Tied To Lower Mainland Gang Conflict

    Surrey’s Anti-gang Unit Targets 10-Year-Olds Amid Middle-class Gang Problems

    Sgt. Mike Sanchez didn't expect to find himself working in elementary schools as a senior officer with the RCMP's gang enforcement unit in Surrey, B.C.

    Surrey’s Anti-gang Unit Targets 10-Year-Olds Amid Middle-class Gang Problems

    Woman Convicted In Stefanie Rengel's Killing Has Day Parole Revoked

    KITCHENER, Ont. - A young woman who pressured her boyfriend to kill his teenage ex more than a decade ago had her day parole revoked Friday after she became entangled in a love triangle with two former inmates outside prison.

    Woman Convicted In Stefanie Rengel's Killing Has Day Parole Revoked

    Federal Books Show $500m Shortfall In First Quarter Of 2019-20 Fiscal Year

    Federal Books Show $500m Shortfall In First Quarter Of 2019-20 Fiscal Year
    The Finance Department's fiscal monitor says the combined shortfall for the April-to-June stretch came as growth in program spending and debt-servicing costs outpaced an increase in revenue.    

    Federal Books Show $500m Shortfall In First Quarter Of 2019-20 Fiscal Year

    Stephen Harper Fundraising Pitch Used To Raise Money, For Liberals

    The Conservatives posted a video Thursday of Harper urging supporters to kick in money to help make his successor, Andrew Scheer, "the next prime minister of Canada."    

    Stephen Harper Fundraising Pitch Used To Raise Money, For Liberals

    Scheer's Position On Abortion A Shift, But Not A Surprise To Some Conservatives

    Scheer's Position On Abortion A Shift, But Not A Surprise To Some Conservatives
    OTTAWA - One of Conservative leader Andrew Scheer's main challengers during the party's leadership race says if Scheer had been clear at the time on how he'd handle abortion debates, he might never have won.

    Scheer's Position On Abortion A Shift, But Not A Surprise To Some Conservatives