The chief electoral officer has said her office spent more than $3.2 million in total pre-election expenditures last year, including nearly $2 million that cannot be recovered.
New Brunswick's chief electoral officer said Elections New Brunswick far exceeded the budget for 2023-2024 because it had to be ready in case voters were called to the polls early.
For months Higgs waffled on calling an early election, repeatedly saying since June he needed a new mandate to quell the political drama that had gripped his party.
New Brunswick opposition leaders are criticizing Premier Blaine Higgs after he left the province guessing about whether he would plunge them into an early election campaign.