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Alberta small businesses feel significantly less confident now than they did a month ago, according to a survey by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB).

The organization surveys small businesses monthly and releases a confidence index score nationwide and for each province.

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In November, Alberta’s confidence index score was 44.7, down 8.9 points from last month.

It’s the second-lowest score in Canada, with Saskatchewan having an index of 44.1. The nationwide confidence index is 56.1.

“It’s basically a measure of how confident our small business owners are in the economy,” said CFIB provincial affairs director Annie Dormuth.

“It’s not uncommon to see this kind of drop, but it is quite significant. It’s quite a large drop and it points to our small business owners having concerns about a multitude of things.”

Those concerns range from worries that municipal budget shortfalls will lead to property tax increases to continued uncertainty surrounding the energy sector.