Finance Minister Tom Osborne says he’s cautiously optimistic about the province’s current fiscal situation.

Over the weekend, production was shut down at the Hibernia platform after an oil spill, just one-day after production had resumed following a spill in July. It marks the third spill in the province’s offshore in the last 12-months.

Osborne says these shutdowns do have an impact on government’s operating budget. The deferred royalty impact of a shut-down at Hibernia is about $2.5-Million a day.

But Osborne says the province is improving.

Osborne says retail sales are positive, employment numbers are up, and there are positive signs in the economy.

Osborne says the largest single pressure on the province still remains Muskrat Falls.

He says if that project magically disappeared, the province would be in great shape today.