Frontline public services will be affected by provincial funding cuts, Premier Ed Stelmach warns.

Cuts included in the budget for the coming fiscal year, passed in the legislature on Thursday just before the politicians started their two-week spring break, will affect several ministries.

While there is a projected deficit and a sharp increase in health spending, departments that deal with children, seniors and the unemployed will have to operate with less.

However, Stelmach said, people should keep in mind that in some areas, spending has increased every year for the last five years.

"Persons with developmental disabilities (PDD) funding has increased 20 per cent, [and] that converts to $100-million increase," Stelmach said. "The number of PDD-supported individuals has increased by about two per cent in that period.

"Spending on programs for foster parents has increased every year over the last 10 years, but we simply can't continue to grow spending at that same rate."

The cuts would have been more severe if billions of dollars hadn't been set aside during better economic times, Stelmach said, adding Alberta will tap into the province's sustainability fund to reduce the impact of the cuts.