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A new poll suggests that 65 per cent of Albertans support the NDP government’s plan to conduct a review of oil and gas royalties — and 46 per cent believe royalties should be hiked.

The poll is good news for Rachel Notley, who promised the review in her campaign platform, but bad news for the province’s oil and gas industry, Mainstreet Technologies president Quito Maggi said Tuesday.

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Maggi, whose company surveyed more than 3,000 Albertans by phone Monday, said the poll sends a strong message to the NDP premier and her new government.

“The people are supportive of a royalty review and they shouldn’t be scared to start that process — and do it sooner rather than later,” Maggi said.

Energy companies have said that raising royalties at a time when the oilpatch is struggling with the collapse of oil prices and already cutting jobs will harm the industry and the province’s economy.

But Notley is currently riding a wave of popular support.

The survey, conducted the day after Notley and her new cabinet were sworn in before a festive crowd of several thousand on the steps of the legislature, suggests six out of every 10 Albertans approve of the new premier, while 28 per cent disapprove. Her approval is even higher in Edmonton where Notley has 75 per cent support.