Edmonton’s mayor said yesterday that while he’s pleased with the federal budget, overall, “the devil is in the details.”
Among Stephen Mandel’s top concerns for budget allocation are arts and culture, transportation and hockey arenas. He said that a promise for $12 million in infrastructure bodes well for the city’s long list of “to-do’s” which include roads, bridges and recreation centres, and will help offset costs incurred by taxpayers.
He added it’s likely the city will get the greatest say in how the federal money is spent locally, but that he and council are keeping a “level exuberance” before making any big plans.
Alberta’s finance minister believes the federal budget has made has made some strides in helping the province weather through an economic drought, but admitted she’s still looking through the details for fairness.
“Overall, (it’s) good news,” said Finance Minister Iris Evans in a media scrum yesterday.
“When you have infrastructure funding and transportation funding, that puts people to work, and here in Alberta we’ve got some roads that can use that … Definitely, that’s a help.”
