Alberta’s education minister says the province expects to spend about $600 million this year on educating the children of temporary residents.

Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides told legislators that exact figures cannot be separated from Alberta’s $10.8 billion education budget because school funding varies depending on student needs.

The province currently educates 45,554 students who are children of temporary residents, with average education costs estimated at about $12,000 per student annually, and 14,661 refugee students.

The figures come as Premier Danielle Smith prepares questions for a possible October referendum that could address immigration policy and potentially propose limits on access to provincially funded services such as education and healthcare.

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