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N.B. government looks to highway tolls, civil service cuts to combat $1.4B deficit in 2026-27 budget
New Brunswick's $1.4 billion deficit stems from a 17.4% health-care spending increase and new tolls on out-of-province vehicles projected to raise $10.4 million annually.
- On March 17, 2026, the New Brunswick government tabled a $15.6-billion budget projecting a nearly $1.4-billion deficit, with health care as its centrepiece, Finance Minister René Legacy said.
- Health spending rose sharply, with health-care spending increasing by $710 million, a 17.4 per cent rise that pushed the budget into a record deficit, the government says.
- The government will cut the civil service by 12 per cent, reducing about 1,400 positions and projecting $100-million savings largely through attrition.
- A new toll is planned by 2028 for out-of-province vehicles at the Trans-Canada Highway at Aulac, N.B., expected to raise $10.4-million annually as net debt hits $15.9 billion with a 30.8 per cent debt-to-GDP ratio.
- Finance Minister René Legacy warned this budget is only the beginning of changes needed to combat rising debt, while operating grants for four publicly funded universities are frozen this year despite enrolment falling from 25,000 to about 20,000.
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Moose Jaw Today
Moose Jaw TodayNew Brunswick budget has historic $1.4B deficit, plans for highway toll into N.S.
·Sechelt, Canada
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New Brunswick Budget Has Historic $1.4B Deficit, Plans for Highway Toll Into NS
The New Brunswick government says health-care spending helped push the budget for the next fiscal year into a record deficit, and the province plans to raise revenue with a new toll on a highway into Nova Scotia. Introduced on Tuesday, the $15.6-billion budget is in deficit by $1.39-billion—the largest shortfall in the province’s history, according to Finance Department staff. “While we are making these historic investments, we are also acutely …
·New York, United States
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources17
Leaning Left6Leaning Right2Center4Last UpdatedBias Distribution50% Left
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources lean Left
50% Left
L 50%
C 33%
R 17%
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