QUEBEC - The Quebec police force has begun investigating a potential leak of the provincial budget.
The Surete du Quebec will examine how elements of the budget may have appeared on a radio host's Twitter page.
Public Security Minister Jacques Dupuis would not confirm whether the details reported on Jeff Fillion's Twitter page were indeed accurate.
On the eve of the budget, Fillion reported that Quebec would hike the sales tax by two per cent, the gas tax by four cents by 2014, and hydro fees by 20 per cent by 2014.
Fillion published the details on Monday night, almost a full day in advance of the budget being tabled.
Governments routinely disclose details of upcoming budgets. In Ottawa, it's actually become a popular public-relations strategy in recent years.
However, problems can occur when the details get out by accident.
A TV reporter was slapped with criminal charges in 1989 when a source gave him, without the Mulroney government's permission, details of the federal budget.
A provincial court judge later threw out those charges.
