TORONTO (Standard&Poor's) Oct. 5, 2004--Standard&Poor's Ratings Services today said it affirmed its 'AAA' long-term issuer credit and senior unsecured debt ratings on the Province of Alberta. At the same time, Standard&Poor's affirmed its 'A-1+' short-term issuer credit and global scale CP ratings and its 'A-1(High)' Canadian national scale CP rating on Alberta. Standard&Poor's also affirmed its 'AAA' rating on the guaranteed debt outstanding of the Alberta Capital Finance Authority. The outlook is stable. "The ratings on Alberta reflect its extremely low debt burden compared by both Canadian and international standards," said Standard&Poor's credit analyst Mario Angastiniotis. "The ratings are also supported by the provincial government's conservative and prudent budget management,
