With two leadership reviews to take place and speculation about a possible provincial election by the end of 2020, many are expecting a “good news” style budget this spring, but the Employers’ Council says that’s not possible.

Executive Director Richard Alexander believes the nearly $1-billion deficit needs to be addressed and there’s no way to deliver goodies this time around.

Moody’s downgraded the province’s credit rating “for a reason” says Alexander, while the AG’s report was the most scathing he’s seen in his time with the Employers’ Council. He says it will be hard to deliver a good news budget unless immediate action is taken on spending reform.