Alberta now on track for even bigger budget deficit, now at $6.5B

The bad news for Alberta's oil-reliant budget is set to get worse. Finance Minister Nate Horner says softening oil prices mean this year's projected budget deficit is expected to grow by $1.3 billion, and will now finish at $6.5 billion in the red when the fiscal year ends next spring.

That represents a massive multibillion-dollar swing in Alberta's financial fortunes, as it is coming off an $8.3-billion surplus the year prior.

The government says uncertainty created by U.S. trade policy is hurting the Alberta economy and remains a significant risk going into the rest of the year.

Oil prices remain the determining factor in Alberta's budget, as they have for decades.

Every dollar drop in the per-barrel price for the benchmark West Texas Intermediate slashes $750 million from Alberta's bottom line, and Alberta has lowered its forecast by more than US$4 a barrel since introducing the 2025 budget in February.