Victoria -BC Finance Minister Carole James started reading the 2018 BC Budget with a tip of the hat to child care.
“A made-in-B.C. child-care plan, a comprehensive housing plan and record levels of capital investment in every corner of the province.” $1B invested over three years.
“Budgets are not only about the bottom line, they should be about people. That’s why British Columbians are at the centre of every choice we have made in Budget 2018,” said James. “These include historic investments in child care and affordable housing that will be felt for generations.”
Over three years, an investment of more than $1 billion will set the province on the path to a universal child-care plan that will make child care affordable for parents and caregivers, create more than 22,000 child-care spaces throughout the province and ensure those spaces meet rigorous quality and safety standards.
Budget 2018 also lays out a comprehensive housing plan that introduces new taxation measures to tackle foreign and domestic speculation, to close loopholes and crack down on tax fraud, and to stabilize housing prices. It invests more than $1.6 billion over three years to build and maintain affordable rental housing, help finance student housing, increase rental assistance for low-income seniors and working families, and provide supportive housing for at-risk British Columbians.
“Budget 2018 balances the needs and priorities of British Columbians with the fiscal prudence that marks B.C. as an economic leader in Canada,” said James. “Our province needs bold action, and Budget 2018 delivers by investing in choices that make life more affordable, improving the services we all count on, and supporting a strong, sustainable economy for all British Columbians.”
NOTE – The opposition Liberals, while not denouncing the nuts and bolts of the budget, expressed concern that spending out strips revenue, in their estimation, buy the ratio of 2:1. Business taxes will rise, especially in the case of replacing MSP income.
Overview
Building on the Province’s progress to date, Budget 2018 takes action to make life more affordable by:
- Introducing a new affordable child-care benefit that will reduce child-care costs by up to $1,250 per month for every child and support 86,000 B.C. families per year by 2020-21.
- Providing up to $350 per month directly to licenced child-care providers to reduce fees for an estimated 50,000 families per year by 2020-21.
- Curbing speculation in B.C.’s housing market and helping to build 114,000 affordable rental, non-profit, co-op and owner-purchase housing units through partnerships.
- Eliminating Medical Services Plan (MSP) premiums by Jan. 1, 2020, saving individuals up to $900 a year, and families up to $1,800 a year.
- Making ferries more affordable by freezing fares on all major BC Ferries routes, reducing fares on non-major routes and fully restoring the Monday to Thursday seniors passenger fare discount.
- Improving B.C.’s Fair PharmaCare program to eliminate deductibles for families with annual net incomes below $30,000, starting Jan. 1, 2019. Approximately 240,000 families will receive expanded coverage.
- Reinstating free bus passes with the flexibility to support other transportation needs will help over 100,000 people receiving disability assistance to better connect them with their communities and the services they rely on.
Health Care, Education, First Nations, Legal Aid
British Columbians deserve services they can depend on. That’s why Budget 2018 invests in priority services, including:
- Significant investments in health care, with funding of $548 million over three years to improve care for seniors and $150 million to help connect those who do not have a family doctor with team-based primary care.
- Hiring more teachers, bringing the total to over 3,700 new hires around the province to support students and meet the need for qualified teachers in B.C.
- Making a historic investment of $50 million this fiscal year to support the revitalization and preservation of Indigenous languages in B.C.
- Dedicating $18 million to services that provide outreach and counselling support for women and children affected by violence.
- Improving access to justice through increased funding for legal aid, family law services, and the hiring of more sheriffs and court staff to help reduce court delays.
Buy BC, Grow BC, Wildfire BC, Creative BC, Tuition Waiver Program
Budget 2018 invests in a strong, sustainable economy through B.C.’s greatest resource – its people, by:
- Supporting communities hit the hardest by the 2017 wildfire season and investing in wildfire preparedness to protect people, communities and wildlife.
- Increasing funding for B.C.’s agrifood sector to support enhanced Buy BC, Grow BC and Feed BC initiatives to drive consumer demand and get B.C.’s goods to overseas markets.
- Confirming the removal of fees for Adult Basic Education and English Language Learning to give people opportunities to grow and succeed.
- Partnering with industry, the federal government and First Nations communities to support Indigenous skills training programs with $30 million over three years.
- Increasing grants administered through the BC Arts Council and Creative BC, which support B.C.’s vibrant communities and creative economy.
- Expanding B.C.’s tuition waiver program and increasing financial support for former youth in care while they attend post-secondary school or training programs.
Foreign Buyers Tax, Eliminate MSP Premiums – Employer Health Tax
- A speculation tax, and increases in the foreign buyers’ tax, to address housing affordability in B.C. by reducing foreign demand, and curbing speculation in the residential property market.
- An employer health tax to allow for the full elimination of MSP premiums.
