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More than 200 individuals filled the gymnasium of Escuela Mill Creek in Edmonton on Tuesday night as the Alberta NDP launched a series of six budget town halls to take place across the province over the next month.

Leader of the opposition Rachel Notley and finance critic Shannon Phillips said the UCP have not sufficiently consulted Albertans for the budget — expected to come at the end of October — and pledged to present a shadow budget based on their discussions with Albertans at these town halls.

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“This is going to be more than a budget,” said Notley to an animated crowd. “This is going to be the first sign of what the next four years will look like for our families, for our neighbourhoods and for our communities.”

Recommendations made in the recently released blue-ribbon panel report headed up by former Saskatchewan finance minister Janice MacKinnon — including significantly cutting health, education and public spending overall — suggest major cuts to frontline services in the future.