Sheridan sticking with 3-year budget plan

P.E.I. Finance Minister Wes Sheridan is gearing up for pre-budget consultations, but is letting people know in advance there is very little room for change inside the three-year plan announced last year.

In his 2012 budget address, Sheridan announced only the Health Department would see any increase in spending before 2015, and increases there would be capped at 3.5 per cent per year.

"There is a three-year plan in place. If they do indeed have requests for new monies then I would appreciate if they had ideas on where we would save that same amount of money coming from another part of government," Sheridan told CBC News Wednesday.

"That's as simple as this process is, is that if there is new money to go out on one hand - that is not inside the three-year plan - then we have to cut it from another area."

The consultations will be held in a number of communities across the Island next month, starting in Summerside on Feb. 1. About 70 people made presentations during the roundtable discussions last year.