Toews speaking to Lethbridge business owners about budget

Alberta finance minister Travis Toews spoke to Lethbridge business owners Thursday about the budget

LETHBRIDGE, Alta. -

The recently released proposed Alberta budget has much of the province talking as attention turns towards the upcoming provincial election in late May.

Now the man who built it, finance minister Travis Toews, is speaking to Albertans across the province to promote the proposed budget.

“Budget ‘23 really continues our fiscal plan from 2019," said Toews on Thursday, in a lunch hour speech delivered at the Lethbridge Chamber of Commerce. "And the key objectives over the last three years have been about positioning Alberta’s economy for competitiveness, investment attraction, economic growth, diversification, job creation."

Many business owners remain on the fence about the proposed budget, but lunch events like Thursday's help to inform the business community, according to chamber CEO Cyndi Bester.

“You know it's still a bit early right with it just being released Tuesday. A lot of your entrepreneurs and your business owners are busy doing business, and so that's why they rely on events like today,” said Bester.

Bester herself had many positive things to say about the budget, and believes that it offers a lot of benefits to Lethbridge.

"We are being noticed," Bester said. "Lethbridge is being put into documentation in the government now. And that's really important. So that people know 'oh Lethbridge is doing this, Lethbridge is succeeding at that'.”

Some members of the business community are less optimistic about the budget, and believe it doesn’t do enough to protect local businesses.  

“Anything would've helped,” said Nancy Graham manager of Cuppers Coffee. “Even if it's just some recognition of the fact that businesses have struggled and individuals are struggling even now. I mean I think that's a universal truth. But I didn't hear anything on that at all.”