No Danielle dollars coming, but here's what cost of living supports to expect

While Alberta will not send affordability cheques to help with the rising cost of living, Premier Danielle Smith pledged targeted support is coming.

When asked at a Monday press conference, Alberta's premier said she would not follow the Government of Saskatchewan's lead in mailing out $500 tax credit cheques.

Over the next two weeks, Saskatchewan residents aged 18 or older who filed a tax return in that province last year will receive the money, a measure that Premier Scott Moe said would help residents with surging inflation.

Those payments are being funded by a budget surplus created by higher-than-expected natural resource revenues, Saskatchewan officials say.

Alberta is also expected to be in the black this year, with a projected $13.2 billion budget surplus announced this summer.

Smith said she is focused on providing targeted aid to those who need it most.

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"We've got a number of measures that we are considering," Alberta's premier said.

"Yes, we are going to give targeted support and it is going to be substantial, but it's not going to be in the model of… Ralph bucks in the past or what we are seeing in Saskatchewan," Smith added.

She indicated a "package of supports" would be unveiled in the coming weeks, with caucus and cabinet meetings still ongoing to settle on what precise measures would be included.

Last week, Smith directed her minister of seniors, community and social services to re-index AISH and senior benefits to inflation. No timeline or cost estimate was provided.

With former United Conservative Party leader Jason Kenney at the helm, the provincial government removed inflation indexing to AISH in 2019, saying the program was among the most generous in Canada.

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Smith says the most pressing concerns she has heard from Albertans include the rising cost of pharmaceutical drugs for seniors, high energy and home heating bills and the significant cost of gas and diesel at the pumps.

"We are going to make sure that we provide support for every single Albertan, it'll just be in different ways," she said. "We just want to make sure that we are targeting the most significant support to those who are most in need."

With files from CTV News Regina's Brendan Ellis