What We Do
At Alberta Finance, you have the opportunity to become involved in unique work.
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Think balancing your cheque book is a challenge? Imagine doing it for the whole province. Or imagine working with Alberta ministries to develop their budgets, collecting provincial taxes or regulating public pension plans. Imagine using your skills and knowledge to contribute to building a strong and sustainable Alberta.
Alberta Finance is responsible for:
- coordinating the budget;
- managing debt;
- analyzing economic and financial trends;
- fiscal analysis;
- forecasting Alberta's economic future;
- keeping taxes fair, competitive and simple;
- maintaining an unclaimed personal and vested property registry;
- regulating insurance, pensions and financial institutions;
- managing revenue programs;
- managing financial assets;
- managing risk associated with liability exposure and loss of public assets; and
- regulating and fostering Alberta's capital market.
Below are descriptions of division responsibilities. For more information, see About Us.
Budget and Fiscal Planning
The Budget and Fiscal Planning division (BFP) is responsible for advising the government on overall fiscal, economic and tax policy issues. This includes advising on federal-provincial fiscal relations and supporting federal / provincial / territorial funding transfer discussions.
BFP co-ordinates the preparation of the province’s annual budget and quarterly fiscal updates and prepares the Executive Summary of the province’s Annual Report.
BFP also prepares population projections for use within the Government of Alberta and forecasts tax revenue and major federal funding transfers. The division presents the overall fiscal position of the Government of Alberta to the Treasury Board Committee, Cabinet and Caucus as part of the budget and quarterly update processes. BFP also is primarily responsible for the province’s legislated fiscal framework.
BFP has three branches: Budget Planning and Integration, Economics, Demography and Public Finance, and Tax Policy.
Financial Sector Regulation and Policy
The Financial Sector Regulation and Policy division (FSRP) is responsible for the regulation and oversight of credit unions, loan and trust corporations, insurance companies and private sector pension plans. FSRP also provides policy support and analysis to the Minister of Finance in these areas, as well as for ATB Financial, public sector pension plans, capital markets and the Canada Pension Plan.
See the Pensions, Insurance and Financial Institutions sections for more information.
Tax and Revenue Administration
The Tax and Revenue Administration (TRA) administers tax and related programs under the Alberta Corporate Income Tax, Tourism Levy, Fuel Tax, and Tobacco Tax acts on behalf of the Minister of Finance.
TRA also administers the Unclaimed Personal Property and Vested Property program, and contributes to the development of Alberta tax policy. The focus of TRA’s activity is to ensure a fair, efficient and effective provincial tax and revenue system.
TRA has five branches: Tax Services, Revenue Operations, Audit, Strategic and Client Services and Business Technology Management. See the Taxes & Rebates section for more information.
Treasury and Risk Management
Treasury Management (TM) is responsible for the management of short-term borrowing and investments, banking and cash forecasting, arranging financing for the government and provincial corporations and monitoring and managing loans and guarantees. TM is also responsible for providing investment policy advice to the Minister of Finance as well as portfolio planning and evaluation for the investments of the General Revenue Fund and the government endowment funds. The division provides financial and banking advice to other government departments including active involvement in the Province’s Public Private Partnership (P3) projects. TM is divided into the following two areas: Capital Markets and Banking and Cash Forecasting.
Risk Management and Insurance (RMI) collaborates with ministries and agencies throughout government to assist them with identifying, measuring, controlling and fi nancing the risk of accidental loss. The program is responsible for all “participants” subject to the Financial Administration Act. RMI is divided into two areas: Risk Management Operations and Claims Management.
See Provincial Debt information.
Human Resource Services
Human Resource Services plans, develops and delivers strategic human resource programs as well as day-to-day human resource services. The division’s responsibilities include: promoting strategic HR planning in alignment with business goals and objectives; supporting the attraction and engagement of high-calibre staff; and building employee capacity to achieve business plan goals. HR provides service and guidance in the areas of staffing, classification, recognition, wellness, learning and development, compensation and employee relations.
Strategic and Business Services
Strategic and Business Services is responsible for providing leadership in, and delivering the services to the ministry related to business planning and reporting, business resumption planning, information management, corporate technology services, and financial and administrative policy, planning, compliance and reporting.
The Strategic and Business Services division is responsible for supporting the ministry’s operations. SBS provides leadership and oversight of the ministry’s business planning and annual reporting activities, as well its enterprise risk management, pandemic and business continuity emergency management programs. SBS provides a full range of financial advisory, planning, accounting and reporting services to the ministry and to the Pension Plan Boards.
The division is also responsible for providing technology services and administrative and information services, including facilities management, information and records management and the administration of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy processes.
