Planned throne speech suggests no Alberta election in March

It looks like Alberta won't have an election in March.

A spokesperson for Premier Rachel Notley confirmed on Tuesday the legislature will open for a spring session on March 18 with a speech from the throne.

Assuming the government sticks to that plan — and given that election campaign periods in Alberta last 28 days — the next provincial election wouldn't be held until mid-April at the earliest.

According to the province's fixed-date election legislation, the next election must be held sometime between March 1 and May 31, 2019.

In December, United Conservative Party Leader Jason Kenney called for the government to call an election Feb.1, resulting in an early March election.

It's still not known whether the NDP will table a budget this spring.

"There may or may not be a budget," Notley said when asked last month. "There are two options, and one of those two options will happen."