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Post-secondary institutions and school boards have been given until the end of the week to submit plans for discretionary spending cuts to the Alberta government, but have not been told by how much or in what specific areas to cut.

Advanced Education Minister Marlin Schmidt said Monday he didn’t feel giving higher academic institutions in Alberta two weeks in the run up to Christmas to develop the plan is unfair. The plans are to be submitted by Dec. 15.

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“We have capable people at universities who are able to turn around things in a quick time and we expect they will be able to do that,” he said.

All Alberta public agencies, boards and commissions with their “own employees and budgets” have been asked to create a “discretionary spending restraint plan” that includes savings that are not included in their current budgets.

Those additional savings must also be achieved in future years.

A letter sent to universities and colleges Dec. 1 gives examples of what government departments are currently doing to reduce expenses and asks institutions to consider them as examples.