54% of Albertans struggling with bills: poll

Whether it’s housing or groceries it’s not easy to make ends meet in Alberta.

“I shop the specials now. I don’t buy any meat anymore, nothing. You find your protein in beans,” said Darleign Horton.

Roughly 54 per cent of people in the Wild Rose province say they’re struggling to pay their bills — according to polling by Janet Brown for CBC News —  the highest that number has been in at least six years. It shoots up to 63 per cent for people with kids. 

“We’ve done a lot. We’ve indexed personal income tax, we’ve indexed AISH, we’ve indexed our seniors benefit,” said Premier Danielle Smith.

The premier went on to list about a dozen initiatives her UCP has underway to ease the burden of high costs on Albertans. 

“We’re prepared to do more. What we’re happy to see is that the year-over-year increases in inflation are moderating,” said Smith.

But following a spring session focused largely on tightening provincial control on municipal politics and restricting deals made with Ottawa, the opposition says more could have been done on affordability.

“This is a government that did not show a focus on real tactics and real bills that will change the status quo for Albertans right now. So it was a missed opportunity, this session,” said Nagwan Al-Guneid, NDP MLA.

While federal policies, mortgage rates, and property taxes also affect affordability, the NDP says the province could cap rent and place more restrictions on insurance rates. They also insist the UCP could further spur the building of homes and renewable energy, dropping the cost of both. 

“The (UCP) strategy so far seems to be — fight with Ottawa and hopefully people won’t notice. Affordability is an issue for Albertans. If you can blame that on the feds then you don’t have to take responsibility for the fact we have the highest utility rates in the country,” said Lori Williams, a political scientist at Mount Royal University.

The premier meanwhile, defended her government bringing back a 13-cent-a-litre gas tax and pushing promised tax breaks to 2026, because she said Albertans also expect her to balance the provincial budget.