The province is spending more on health care and education.

The Financial Accountability Office says spending by the province on health care during the first three months of this fiscal year is up almost 1.4 billion dollars over the same period last year.

FAO Officer Peter Weltman says it could be attempts to address the health care crisis.

“It’s possible. We’re sort of thinking that it’s probably a catch-up from a couple of years of COVID-induced reduced physician visits,” says Weltman.

Weltman says as doctor in-person visits increase, billings to the province also rise.

The FAO also finds education spending was $453 million or 8.2 more in the first three months of this fiscal year than last year.

The province had planned to spend $195 million more.

Chief Financial Analyst Jeffrey Novak says the increase is attributed to childcare.

“The big change this year is the start of the $10-day childcare program. We don’t know for sure why it’s less than planned, but that would be the first thing that popped to mind for us,” says Novak.

Overall the province spent $39.9 billion on all programs and services.

That is $3.1 billion (8.3 per cent) more than was spent in the first quarter of the previous fiscal year.