Many organizations welcomed BC government’s 2024 budget, while many were
unsatisfied. Here are few reactions:
BC United Leader Kevin Falcon
Budget 2024 sets out an $8 billion inflationary deficit — the largest in B.C.’s history —
with taxpayer-supported debt per person increasing 150 percent, from $8,540 in
2016/17 to $21,542 in 2026/27. The changes to the property transfer tax for first time
buyers only applies to the first $500,000 of a home, which will only save homebuyers
$8,000, compared to BC United’s plan which will save people up to $18,000 due to our
raising of the exemption threshold to $1 million. The Employer Health Tax (EHT) rate is
doubling (from 2.9 percent to 5.8 percent) on businesses with over $1 million in payroll.
EHT revenues will climb by $265 million over the fiscal plan.
Ken Peacock, Business Council of British Columbia
Today’s B.C. budget projects a nearly $8 billion deficit this fiscal year and serially large deficits over the forecast horizon. In October, the Bank of Canada Governor indicated that monetary and fiscal policy should be “rowing in the same direction” to cool inflation that is hurting family budgets. At 1.9 per cent of GDP, this year’s deficit is significantly larger than last years which was the largest among the provinces and second only to the federal government. This budget continues an unhelpful pace of spending and borrowing that is stimulative despite B.C.’s inflation rate being 3.0% year-over-year in January. We do not agree the government should be running large operating deficits when the economy is near full capacity and people are struggling to pay the bills because of inflation.
Mayor Brenda Locke, City of Surrey
I acknowledge and welcome the funding for the new hospital and SkyTrain extension to
Langley, however those projects will not be completed for at least another four years.
Unfortunately, the NDP government has, once again, failed to understand the current
critical infrastructure needs of Surrey. This new budget offers no immediate relief to the
challenges Surrey faces in health care, schools and transit. In the meantime, patients
having to be housed in hallways and the stressful working conditions for Surrey
Memorial Hospital doctors, nurses and staff will persist. Despite having a similar
population to Vancouver, Surrey Memorial Hospital will have to make do with less than
half of the operating rooms available at Vancouver General Hospital. One new
elementary school will not make a dent in reducing the hundreds of portables at our
already overcrowded public schools. No new transit funding for the Metro region means
there will be no relief for our overcrowded roads, and buses in Surrey will continue to
run beyond capacity. It also means that many areas in Surrey will remain without basic
bus service. Access to public transit is an essential component to achieving affordability
and meeting the demand of the new housing targets set by Premier Eby.
BCTF President Clint Johnston
The BC Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) was heartened to hear that public education
is a top priority of the NDP government. However, without a significant funding
commitment that goes beyond keeping up with the growing population, Budget
2024 won't make a dent in solving acute staffing shortages in schools. Budget
2024 allocates $968 million to keep up with growing enrollment including more
teachers, $4.2 billion to build, renovate, and seismically upgrade schools, $255 million
for the Classroom Enhancement Fund, including special education teachers and school
counsellors to keep up with enrollment and $30.3 million for learning supports to
support students with dyslexia and related learning differences in K–12 system. However,
missing from the budget is a targeted teacher recruitment fund to relieve current K–12 staffing shortages, a targeted teacher retention fund to enhance retention of the current workforce and improve working conditions and supports for students, funding for special education staffing and services that fully covers what school districts actually spend on inclusive education BETSY AGAR, Buildings Director at the Pembina Institute
Addressing climate change and protecting British Columbians from the impacts we are already facing must be the cornerstone of provincial government budgets and plans as 2030 quickly approaches. This is why we’re pleased to see the government reconfirm its commitments under CleanBC, the government's climate change plan, with $318 million over next three years. The cost of climate inaction is too great, as evidenced by the $405 million commitment to protecting against climate emergencies. Budget 2024 represented an opportunity to put in place the tools needed to reach our 2030 and 2050 climate targets, provide new economic development opportunities, and address the affordability and well-being challenges of all British Columbians.
