Towns with NDP MLAs get budget consultations but not Fort McMurray

Alberta government is holding pre-budget consultations in places like Fairview, Vegreville, Stony Plain and Redwater, all represented by NDP MLAs, but not in Fort McMurray, where both members are with the Wildrose.

Invitations to most of the closed-door sessions with Finance Minister Joe Ceci are coming from NDP MLAs. The government will issue invitations to the meetings in Calgary and Grande Prairie.

Names of those invited were not immediately available.Ceci's press secretary, Mike Brown, said that information wouldn't be released without first getting permission from invitees.

• Alberta finance minister launches budget consultations
• Economy takes front seat at Notley, Ceci pre-budget town hall in Fort McMurray

Ceci is holding the eight meetingsto get suggestions for the 2017-2018 budget, which will be tabled in March. The public can participate in two telephone town halls at the end of January and offer online feedback until Feb. 3.

The first session took place Monday at the Castle Downs YMCA in Edmonton. The remaining sessions will roll out over the next three weeks. Consultations are also taking place in Red Deer, Medicine Hat and Calgary.

Grande Prairie is represented by one Wildrose and one Progressive Conservative MLA, but that session on Jan. 16 will be combined with Fairview, which is represented by Energy Minister Marg McCuaig-Boyd.

Fort McMurray town hall last year

Ceci said the government wasn't going to Fort McMurray because both he and Premier Rachel Notley were there for last year's budget consultations.

The pair held a town hall in Fort McMurray on March 4, 2016, two months before a wildfire devastated the northern city and forced the evacuation of more than 80,000 people. The region has suffered the biggest economic impact from the drop in oil prices.

Ceci said he wanted to get to different areas of the province this time around

"The number of eight different placesare north, south and east and west," he said. "As I said, we are desirous to see more of Alberta, and I'm sure we'll be back to Fort Mac either post(-budget) or some other time."

Wildrose Leader Brian Jean, MLA for Fort McMurray-Conklin, said he was not surprised the NDP is mishandling budget consultations.

"If they had truly listened to Albertans, they wouldn't have introduced a carbon tax on Jan. 1 that is only hurting our province," Jean said in a statement.

"I know that the people of Fort McMurray, just like Albertans across our province, would have shared a message to the NDP of do no further harm had they been given the opportunity to attend a town hall."