According to recent statements by Energy Minister Frank Oberle one of the top government priorities continues to be infrastructure and pipelines. Recent drops in oil prices have left a hole in the provincial budget which could be as high as $7 billion. This means that wage and budget cuts are virtually guaranteed, and many are concerned that the infrastructure and pipelines will be affected by the coming reductions. When Oberle put in an appearance on MacDonald Island Park for a community breakfast with some PC supporters from the local area he said “We will not see a return to $100 or $120 barrels of oil for years to come. We don’t need to get there either if we’re prudent with our finances. The decisions we make now are for the long-term. We do right now face an infrastructure deficit and I don’t think anyone would argue that. We still need to build roads and schools and hospitals, or suffer the consequences in the future.”
When asked how funding would be supplied for these top government priorities Energy Minister Frank Oberle stated “I can tell you right now that while the government tries to solve its revenue problem, we cannot look to the energy industry to solve this problem,. Our oil production will grow but at a a slower pace. We’ve been through difficult times before, we know we’ll get through this one.” The Energy Minister also discussed the Keystone XL and Energy East pipelines, which he is almost positive will be approved and constructed within the near future. Oberle explained “We still need XL and we’re still going to push for it to and it will happen. We have good Republican friends who are working very hard.”