TORONTO (Standard&Poor's) Nov. 14, 2002--Standard&Poor's Ratings Services today said it affirmed its 'AAA' local and foreign currency long-term issuer credit and senior unsecured debt ratings on the Province of Alberta. At the same time, Standard&Poor's affirmed its foreign currency 'A-1+' short-term issuer credit and global scale commercial paper ratings, and the 'A-1(High)' Canadian national scale commercial paper rating on Alberta. The outlook is stable. "The ratings on the province reflect the economy's strong performance, high-income levels, and continuing strong prospects for growth in the near term, bolstered by the solid performance of the energy sector," said Standard&Poor's credit analyst Mario Angastiniotis. In addition, the ratings reflect the province's very low debt burden
