The province wants to mitigate job losses from the COVID-19 pandemic by putting Albertans to work patching potholes, updating schools and fixing bridges.

The government announced on Thursday that it will double the capital maintenance spending earmarked for this fiscal year, from $937 million to $1.9 billion.

"I believe that now is the perfect time to take action on these projects," Premier Jason Kenney said at a news conference in Edmonton. "Albertans need work today more than ever."

The announcement follows the release of new numbers that show Alberta lost 117,000 jobs in March. Kenney warned the news will be worse in April, as the effects of the pandemic continues to spread throughout the province.

Examples of work that could be performed with the new infrastructure spending include updates to windows, roofs and HVAC systems at schools, upgrades of IT equipment used by court staff, and repairs to roads and bridges.

Highway projects include replacing the deck of the Highway 2 Peace River bridge, paving 35 kilometres of Highway 43 between Fox Creek and Valleyview and paving another 21 kilometres of Highway 9 between Richdale and Youngstown, southeast of Red Deer.

About $60 million is going toward fixing potholes on provincial highways.

"We are starting with capital maintenance and renewal because we can move dollars into projects and jobs right away," said Transportation Minister Ric McIver.

NDP Opposition leader Rachel Notley said she supported the plan as it mirrored the advice she acted on from former Bank of Canada governor David Dodge during her first year as premier.

In 2015, Dodge told Notley's NDP government to engage in counter-cyclical spending on infrastructure projects to help stimulate the economy when the bottom dropped out of the oil and gas industry.

"It's a good step," Notley said. "It, however, doesn't respond to the multitude of concerns that we've been hearing from small business owners."

Notley proposed a plan on Thursday to help small businesses and non-profit organizations.

Measures include a rent subsidy up to $10,000, a 50-per-cent cut in insurance premiums until the end of the year, and a $5,000 grant for small companies wanting to temporarily change how they sell goods or deliver services.