It’s an ill wind that blows no man any good. And sure enough, the Alberta government is getting an immediate boost out of spiking oil prices consequent upon the war in the Middle East..Says Rob Anderson, Chief of Staff to Premier Danielle Smith on tonight’s Hannaford show, “The deficit was going to be about $5 billion. Well there's a chance it will have been cut in half by the end of the fiscal year. (March 31.) If these prices continue you could see it in kind of the mid-twos, something like that.”.And going forward, starting April 1st? “The budget that was just announced will probably be affected for the good, because we're seeing (oil) forecast prices being revised for the year up anywhere from $5 to $10.In a wide-ranging interview, Anderson added that balancing the budget would have required drastic cuts, equivalent to reducing frontline public services like nurses, doctors, and teachers by a third, amid rapid population growth of 600,000 people in recent years. Albertans would not have supported such measures, he said..The conversation briefly touches on the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL) leader Gil McGowan and the planned union-led province-wide day of protest on May 29 against the Smith government's agenda. Anderson dismissed it, calling McGowan's recent rhetoric "silliness" and "idle threats," while affirming free speech rights for protests but suggesting they had embarrassed the AFL.Other topics tonight include immigration controls (advocating for Alberta to manage inflows and require temporary residents to pay for services), property rights stability under treaties in Alberta (contrasting with BC’s present difficulties on the indigenous beat,) electricity grid improvements (more natural gas base load, reduced renewables imbalance, and federal regulatory wins), and education reforms to refocus on basics and curb politicization.Hannaford is uploaded tonight at seven o'clock.
