EDMONTON — A rural United Conservative Party backbencher says the Alberta government’s new budget is indefensible and that he won’t be supporting it unless major changes are made.

Lesser Slave Lake representative Scott Sinclair says he’s “furious” at the amount of money for Alberta’s two major cities, including more than $100 million to fund a new event space near the Edmonton Oilers’ downtown arena and to demolish the team’s old facility.

Sinclair says those spending commitments mean rural infrastructure like highways and health-care facilities will fall behind.

He says rural health care has never been worse and will continue to deteriorate without significant investment from the provincial government.

Sinclair says the lone bright spot in the budget is the fulfillment of Premier Danielle Smith’s long-promised personal income tax cut.

The government’s new budget forecasts a $5.2-billion deficit this year, with multibillion-dollar deficits expected for at least the two years after that.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 3, 2025.

Jack Farrell, The Canadian Press