Close X
Thursday, November 14, 2024
ADVT 
National

B.C.'s Budget Surplus Up Despite Millions Spent On Forest Fires And Floods

Darpan News Desk Darpan, 09 Sep, 2014 12:28 PM
  • B.C.'s Budget Surplus Up Despite Millions Spent On Forest Fires And Floods
Finance Minister Mike de Jong says the high cost of fighting forest fires and floods this year has cut into B.C.'s budget, but the province is still posting a surplus.
 
First quarterly results show the budget for 2014-2015 is forecast to have a $266 million surplus, up $82 million from what was predicted in the budget last February.
 
De Jong says revenues were up by $515 million, but that was partly offset by $433 million in expenses, mostly spent on fighting wildfires and for flood-related emergency programs.
 
The cost of fighting wildfires this year is expected to hit $350 million.
 
De Jong says the government has also moved to lower taxpayer-supported debt by $785 million, helping the province maintain its AAA credit rating.
 
Despite B.C.'s increased surplus forecast, the finance minister says he's slightly downgrading the forecast for economic growth this year to 1.9 per cent, from two per cent.

MORE National ARTICLES

Week of Carnage: 20 People Die on B.C. Roads in various Accidents

Week of Carnage: 20 People Die on B.C. Roads in various Accidents
VANCOUVER - Twenty people have died on British Columbia's highways and roads in the last week, 10 of them within the last 24 hours.

Week of Carnage: 20 People Die on B.C. Roads in various Accidents

Firing Gun In Rural Area Not 'inherently' Dangerous, Ontario Appeal Court Rules

Firing Gun In Rural Area Not 'inherently' Dangerous, Ontario Appeal Court Rules
TORONTO - A former American military sniper who fired his gun to scare off a stray dog in a rural area of Ontario deserves another trial on charges of careless use of a firearm, the province's top court ruled Friday.

Firing Gun In Rural Area Not 'inherently' Dangerous, Ontario Appeal Court Rules

Brian and Mila Mulroney mourning 'dear' friend, comic Joan Rivers

Brian and Mila Mulroney mourning 'dear' friend, comic Joan Rivers
OTTAWA - No one was safe from Joan Rivers' sharp-edged humour, not even Mila Mulroney, who, a decade ago, found herself on the pointy end of a Rivers dart.

Brian and Mila Mulroney mourning 'dear' friend, comic Joan Rivers

Wireless Startup Mobilicity Files $1.2b Suit Against Industry Canada

Wireless Startup Mobilicity Files $1.2b Suit Against Industry Canada
One of the financial backers of wireless startup Mobilicity has filed a lawsuit against the federal government, seeking $1.2 billion in damages for breaking several assurances that Industry Canada officials allegedly made to prospective investors.

Wireless Startup Mobilicity Files $1.2b Suit Against Industry Canada

'More Canadian Teens Sharing Sexual Images, Being Extorted'

'More Canadian Teens Sharing Sexual Images, Being Extorted'
WINNIPEG - The Canadian Centre for Child Protection says more teens are sharing sexual images and then being extorted for money.

'More Canadian Teens Sharing Sexual Images, Being Extorted'

Rob Ford Subpoenaed To Testify In Friend's 'crack Video' Extortion Case

Rob Ford Subpoenaed To Testify In Friend's 'crack Video' Extortion Case
TORONTO - Mayor Rob Ford has been ordered to testify at his friend's "crack video" extortion hearing in a case his lawyer said Friday was driven by police, not because the two alleged victims complained.

Rob Ford Subpoenaed To Testify In Friend's 'crack Video' Extortion Case