'Steady as she goes' budget coming for 2018, says Dwight Ball

Premier Dwight Ball is providing some hints about what to expect in next week's provincial budget, and it won't involve any sudden shifts in direction for his government.

"You can expect from any government that I lead, steady as she goes, stability, discipline when it comes to fiscal management, but always finding ways to invest in our communities," Ball told reporters Wednesday after a municipal infrastructure announcement.

Ball said the province is on track to meet the targets outlined in last year's fiscal blueprint.

"We'll meet our forecasts in terms of budget of 2017," Ball said.

"So that's the plan that we began, and that's the plan that we are sticking to."

The Newfoundland and Labrador government initially projected a deficit of $778 million for the just-ending fiscal year. Last fall, it revised that number upwards to $852 million, due mostly to lower-than-expected offshore oil royalties.

The 2016 budget — the first after the Ball Liberals took office — saw the new administration hike an array of taxes and fees and shelve a series of campaign promises, as the province's petro-fuelled finances cratered.

For years, the auditor general has sounded warnings about the state of the treasury and the outlook going forward.

The province will table its 2018 budget on Tuesday, March 27.

It will be the first fiscal plan rolled out by Finance Minister Tom Osborne, who took over the job last summer.