Alberta’s finance minister on Tuesday introduced Bill 2, the Financial Statutes Amendment Act, to usher in some of the technical measures that were introduced in Budget 2022..Travis Toews tabled the omnibus bill Tuesday. The bill proposes several measures “that aim to strengthen financial accountability in government operations by making better use of public funds, improving cost certainty and eliminating financial risks.”.Related specifically to Treasury Board and Finance, the bill would bring Alberta’s tax statutes up-to-date and aligned with other jurisdictions. This would include a new category for chewing tobacco, with the rate set at 27.5 cents per gram of snuff..Online marketplaces like Airbnb or Vrbo would have a mandatory obligation to remit the provincial tourism levy to government on behalf of their Alberta short-term rental hosts..Proposed amendments related to the Financial Administration Amendment Act would enable a new cash pooling structure to “make better use of surplus cash and help reduce the need to borrow.” The in-house bank structure responds to the auditor general’s recommendation to make better use of cash to pay down debt..Specific to health, proposed amendments related to the Alberta Health Care Insurance Act would strengthen “the provision of health benefits and give the government flexibility to make decisions in an ever changing health environment.”.This includes clarifying “the establishment of benefit review committees in a manner that preserves the Alberta Medical Association’s representation rights related to physician compensation, and strengthen audit and compliance provisions for practitioner claims.”.Under Environment and Parks, proposed amendments related to the Emissions Management and Climate Resilience Act would reduce red tape and remove an obsolete power for extending loan guarantees..Finally, for Transportation, proposed amendments to the Public Transit and Green Infrastructure Project Act would help manage the province’s cash flow for the light rail transit construction projects in Calgary and Edmonton..“Budget 2022 demonstrates that a stable, prosperous future for our province is within reach. That’s why fiscal discipline remains the cornerstone of our fiscal plan. Measures presented in Bill 2 will further integrate financial responsibility across government operations, leading to better outcomes for Albertans and a stronger financial position for Alberta,” said Toews..There was no media availability with the minister regarding Bill 2..Amber Gosselin is a Western Standard reporter..agosselin@westernstandardonline.com
