PEI

Premier promises a second balanced budget for P.E.I.

The P.E.I. government will table its operating budget on Friday, and Premier Wade MacLauchlan is promising Islanders they will like what they see.

1st balanced budget in a decade was tabled last spring

Premier Wade MacLauchlan is promising a second consecutive balanced budget. (Randy McAndrew/CBC)

The P.E.I. government will table its operating budget on Friday, and Premier Wade MacLauchlan is promising Islanders they will like what they see.

"It will be an opportunity for Islanders to see what the benefits are of good stewardship and a strong economy," MacLauchlan said in an interview.

This will be Finance Minister Heath MacDonald's first budget. MacDonald took over from Allen Roach in a cabinet shuffle in January, with Roach announcing he would not be running in the next provincial election.

Last spring, Roach promised a $600,000 surplus for 2017-18, and MacLauchlan confirmed Wednesday that this year's budget would be the first surplus in a decade, and promised another surplus budget for 2018-19.

MacDonald will stand to deliver the budget at 11:30 a.m. Friday.

More P.E.I. news

With files from Kerry Campbell