EDMONTON — Alberta Premier Alison Redford is using part of $1.2 million in extra cash directed to her office in Thursday’s budget to hire more letter-writers.
Redford’s spokeswoman, Neala Barton, says the premier gets a lot of queries from Albertans and wants to respond faster.
Barton couldn’t say how many new letter-writers will be hired, but she estimated the budget at $400,000.
She says another $400,000 will go to increased hosting expenses, and the remainder will be used to settle in-house contracts and other payments.
The increase brings Redford’s office budget to $12.8 million — a nine per cent increase from the previous year.
Opposition critics say Redford should not be expanding her office while reducing overall government spending.