One day after the federal budget, provincial and municipal leaders are trying to figure out what it means for hundreds of projects in Alberta.
The federal government is calling its spending plan “generational investments,” and the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce says it is on the right track.
“We’re really encouraged by this budget. This budget really has a strong economic focus and I think one of the things that we’re seeing is historic levels of public investment,” said Heather Thomson with the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce.
Some of Ottawa’s investments include $115 billion over five years on infrastructure, and $25 billion on housing over five years.
The chamber believes the budget could set up both the country and Alberta for international trade with partners outside of the United States. Thomson also says that while there is strong investment, it could take decades before we see a return on it.
“Edmonton’s economy and Canada’s economy in general needs significant investment and it’s also a great sign of confidence. With the tariffs, and a whole bunch of other economic things that happened over the last year, we’re not seeing investment the way we would like to,” Thomson said.
Edmonton Mayor Andrew Knack believes the money could help the city accommodate its growing population. He notes the Rapid Fire Theatre and Bissell Centre received funding.
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After Knack’s recent conversation with Prime Minister Mark Carney, he says this is a positive sign.
“I do get the sense that they want to be an active partner in this. Now as we go forward, as mayor, I get the opportunity to sit down with, have that chat with the prime minister, start meeting with the federal ministers and making sure that Edmonton’s needs are being represented in all of their funding decisions,” said Knack.
But how soon the city sees this money is still up in the air. Under new legislation, the province has to sign off on any agreements municipalities are involved in with the federal government.
“We need to actually see how this works to see if they’ve worked through a process that will be streamlined, that won’t hold us up. At the end of the day, we need immediate action on a number of these areas,” Knack said.
Alberta Minister of Municipal Affairs Dan Williams says so far, this legislation hasn’t caused any delays.
“As long as those projects are in line with the provincial priorities and they’re working collaboratively with us, we want to make sure those dollars are going to core responsibilities of municipalities. When they’re doing that, we’re gonna work with them,” said Williams.
In a statement, Premier Danielle Smith says the province is reserving judgment on the budget until it has concluded “sensitive” negotiations with Ottawa.
“We will then have a much better idea regarding whether or not the current federal government is serious about repealing or overhauling the various policies and laws that have devastated Alberta’s economy over the past decade and put the very stability of Albertan’s electricity grid at existential risk,” Smith said.
For Knack, he says he’s ready to keep the conversations going with all levels of government to ensure plans are going ahead.
“We know there is a lot of work that needs to be done, we’ll do our best to try and fulfill what we can,” he said.
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