Nova Scotians Still Have Time to Send Minister Their Provincial Budgets

Nova Scotians who have not yet shared their ideas about the next provincial budget can still do so as Finance Minister Graham Steele winds down his annual pre-budget consultation tour.

The minister completed his tour across the province but still has a few scheduled meetings. The centrepiece for the 2012 budget consultation has been the interactive budget-making website www.backtobalance.ca .

"This new public engagement website has been really successful in raising awareness about the province's finances and how challenging it is to balance revenues and government spending," said Mr. Steele. "The site gives anyone with an Internet connection a chance to have their say in this next budget and beyond."

Since it was launched November, the website has received 41,960 page views. Visitors have submitted 493 budgets as of today, March 7.

The consultation will incorporate submissions up to Friday, March 16, and the website will remain live until budget day. A summary of the results will be posted online within a few days. The minister expects to release the 2012-13 budget during the first week of April.