Victoria (with files from Global)- The BC Provincial Budget was unveiled on Tuesday.
The challenges of COVID, climate change and sexual assault response organizations were the main focus of the budget.
BC Finance Minister Selina Robinson told a pre-budget news conference on Monday that the realities of climate change hit the province over the past year with deadly heat waves, wildfires and storms that caused major flooding and infrastructure damage across Southern BC.
Child Care will be under the umbrella of the Ministry of Education.
While the renters rebate will disappear, $600 rent supplements are coming for vulnerable groups.
Flood recovery especially for farmers will be highlighted by $400M from BC and $5B from Ottawa.
BC Non Profit Housing Association posted to Social Media : We’ll be watching closely for commitments that will improve access to safe and #affordablehousing.
Canadian Taxpayers Federation noted @taxpayerDOTcom is looking for a concrete plan to balance the books.
From the Province:
Responding to and preventing homelessness
People will benefit from a new, cross-government approach to both prevent homelessness and respond quickly to assist people experiencing homelessness to become stably housed. Budget 2022 invests $633 million over the fiscal plan to expand services and shift the approach to homelessness in the province from reactive to proactive, by:
- Providing $35 million over the next three years to respond to the heightened risk of homelessness faced by former youth in care, through improved supports for these youth beyond their 19th birthday.
- Beginning in 2022-23, temporary housing and support arrangements that had been provided in 2020 will be made permanent, and new $600-a-month rent supplements will be introduced for program participants.
- Over the course of 2023-24 and 2024-25, the Agreement with Young Adults program will be expanded to include counselling, medical benefits and more life-skills programming. Income supports will also be improved, including an earnings exemption so youth don’t have to decide between working and receiving benefits.
- Introducing $600-a-month rent supplements for more than 3,000 people over the next three years to help them become stably housed, with integrated wraparound supports.
Beginning the transition to improved services for families of children with support needs
Budget 2022 starts the transition to more accessible and inclusive services for children and youth with support needs with an investment of $172 million over three years. This includes establishing family connections centres throughout the province. Of this amount, Budget 2022 invests $114 million to begin the transition to a needs-based system, with early implementation to begin in two regions. Findings from these pilots will inform the development and implementation of the provincewide system to be in place by 2025.
This funding envelope also responds to the increasing number of children and youth accessing support, with an increase of $58 million over the fiscal plan period.
Support for sexual assault survivors
Budget 2022 invests to support survivors of sexual assault by providing core funding to approximately 50 community-based sexual assault response organizations, undoing cuts that were made to these services in 2002. These organizations will receive dedicated, ongoing funding to provide critical crisis response, counselling, preventative medication, forensic exams, mechanisms to report to the police, and child protection services.
Saving parents money on full-day child care, preschool and before- and after-school care by cutting average fees to approximately $20 per day, while delivering 40,000 new licensed spaces in the next seven years.
Protecting people and communities from climate-related disasters, including moving BC Wildfire Services to a proactive year-round model, supporting local governments to prepare for climate disasters through the Community Emergency Preparedness Fund, supporting Indigenous-led emergency management priorities, and strengthening B.C.’s defences through the Climate Preparedness and Adaptation Strategy.
Inclusion and anti-racism
The government is working in partnership with communities around the province to draft anti-racism data legislation to be introduced in spring 2022. This legislation will help government to provide better and more equitable services by enabling the consistent collection, use and disclosure of demographic data, and help identify gaps in services to Indigenous and racialized communities.
Debt levels
- B.C.’s taxpayer-supported debt is projected to be $61.7 billion at the end of fiscal year 2021-22, almost $10 billion less than was forecast in Budget 2021.
- Debt is expected to increase to $90.8 billion at the end of 2024-25, to finance the capital investments needed, as well as ensure continued support for people, businesses and communities while government builds a strong economic recovery for B.C.
