Starting in January, health premiums in Alberta will be a thing of the past. The Conservatives originally planned on phasing out the premiums over a four-year period, but when finance minister Iris Evans tabled the 2008 budget April 22, she announced the premiums would be gone by next year.

The move will save individual Albertans up to $528 a year, and families will save up to $1,056 a year — but these savings mean the province will bring in $1 billion less in revenue.

The provincial government plans to spend a record $37 billion in 2008, which has taxpayer watchdogs slagging the budget as an uncontrolled spending spree. The Liberals and environmental groups, meanwhile, say the province is cheaping out on the environment.

The province says it will spend $30 million annually on its climate change strategy — not enough, says Greenpeace campaigner Mike Hudema. He was also hoping to see significant investments into “the energy economy of the 21st century” — solar and wind technology, geothermal technology and energy conservation efforts. “[That] would actually see us reducing our greenhouse gas emissions in Alberta instead of increasing them,” he says. (JK)