Infrastructure spending in the federal budget looks like good news, but the details need to be examined to determine what it will really mean for cities and the province, Alberta politicians said Tuesday.

Edmonton Mayor Stephen Mandel said he likes Ottawa's $4-billion Infrastructure Stimulus Fund to help pay for projects that would be ready to start over the next two years.

But he wondered how the federal government plans to allocate the funding Edmonton might be eligible for.

"There's concerns of the flow of money. What are the terms and conditions of it? How much do we have to put into it? Is it going to be directed a lot more towards eastern Canada, because maybe they have a few more problems than we do?" Mandel said.

"There's some questions we have. We assume it'll be treated on a per capita basis across the country, but we don't know."

Transit, new recreation centres, and downtown revitalization are all areas the city could seek money for, Mandel said.

But he said council will need to set its priorities after administration staff takes a closer look at the terms and conditions for the money.

"We are well-poised to apply for any kind of money in any way that they put it out," Mandel said. "So however they're going to put it out, we're going to be able to, I think, comply with the rules and regulations and ensure Edmonton gets its fair share. Now how the federal government decides and defines what fair share is, we'll have to see."

In Calgary, Mayor Dave Bronconnier said he was pleased because the matching formula for infrastructure funding has changed.

"Yesterday it was, of course, a one third, one third, one third. Today it's 50 per cent," he said of what the city and the province would have to contribute to projects.

"And I think that when you look at having to come up with 50 per cent of the funding to match the Government of Canada is an awful lot better than having to come up with two-thirds."

At the Alberta legislature, provincial Finance Minister Iris Evans echoed Mandel in saying she needs to look at the finer points of the budget.

The size of the deficits Ottawa is planning is a concern, but she admits spending measures are necessary to stimulate the economy.

But overall, she said she was pleased that the government is spending money on infrastructure and transportation.

"When you have infrastructure funding and transportation funding, that puts people to work," she said. "And here in Alberta, we've got some roads that can use that, and definitely that's a help."

While there is money for developing carbon capture technology, Evans said it isn't clear how much the federal government is giving Alberta.

Other items in the budget, like the extension of employment insurance benefits, won't help Alberta as much as other parts of the country because of the province's low unemployment rate, she said.

Mandel said he hopes the budget passes later this week.

"My guess is the Canadian public are not of the mood to have another election given the economic instability in the country," he said. "So I would hope that all parties worry about the country of Canada more than their particular political interests."