Close X
Sunday, November 10, 2024
ADVT 
National

No cuts to people or services, but B.C. budget deficit to rise, finance minister says

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 21 Feb, 2024 02:47 PM
  • No cuts to people or services, but B.C. budget deficit to rise, finance minister says

British Columbia Finance Minister Katrine Conroy says the budget she tables on Thursday will protect services and won't  raise taxes for ordinary residents, but she also forecasts an increased deficit because "it's the right thing to do." 

The minister says the time is not right for the NDP government to bring cuts when most people are facing rising costs for housing, food and other daily staples.

She says the budget will address health care, middle-class housing, a clean economy and incentives for small business.

Conroy says she couldn't pinpoint the size of the deficit, which was projected to reach $5.6 billion late last year, but the budget's long-term outlook forecasts deficit declines.

The government's budget comes less than nine months before a provincial election in the province. 

Conroy, who describes herself as a frugal person, says she will be breaking with tradition for the second year in a row by not wearing a new pair of shoes when she delivers the budget.

 

MORE National ARTICLES

B.C. hospital admissions break record as respiratory illness season nears peak

B.C. hospital admissions break record as respiratory illness season nears peak
British Columbia's health minister says hospitals are dealing with a record number of in-patients as the province's respiratory illness season nears its peak. Health Minister Adrian Dix told a briefing that 10,435 people were in hospital as of Tuesday night, the most the province has ever seen, and many have respiratory illnesses.

B.C. hospital admissions break record as respiratory illness season nears peak

Conservatives call for ethics probe into Justin Trudeau's free Jamaican holiday stay

Conservatives call for ethics probe into Justin Trudeau's free Jamaican holiday stay
Conservative MP and ethics critic Michael Barrett sent a letter to Konrad von Finckenstein on Tuesday asking whether he knew Trudeau was staying at a luxury estate owned by a family friend. Barrett says the vacation is "not the equivalent of staying at a friend's home" calling it instead a gift with commercial value.

Conservatives call for ethics probe into Justin Trudeau's free Jamaican holiday stay

People with private drug coverage more likely to stick to prescriptions: StatCan

People with private drug coverage more likely to stick to prescriptions: StatCan
A new Statistics Canada study confirms that financial limitations are keeping people without private or employer-sponsored drug coverage from following through with their prescriptions. It's true for both those who have no coverage at all but also people who have some coverage through provincial or existing federal prescription programs.  

People with private drug coverage more likely to stick to prescriptions: StatCan

Dr. Bonnie Henry to give update on flu season

Dr. Bonnie Henry to give update on flu season
B-C provincial health officer Doctor Bonnie Henry is scheduled to provide an update this afternoon on the province's respiratory illness season. It's Henry's first update of 2024 and she'll be joined by Health Minister Adrian Dix.

Dr. Bonnie Henry to give update on flu season

Environment Canada warns parts of northern B.C. that -50 C wind chill could be coming

Environment Canada warns parts of northern B.C. that -50 C wind chill could be coming
Environment Canada is warning parts of northern British Columbia to expect wind chill values as cold as -50 C for at least the rest of the week. An extreme cold warning issued for the Peace River region says an arctic ridge over the province means temperatures will remain between -30 and -40 C until Sunday.   

Environment Canada warns parts of northern B.C. that -50 C wind chill could be coming

Vancouver police say jaywalking pedestrian pulled gun, started shooting at driver

Vancouver police say jaywalking pedestrian pulled gun, started shooting at driver
A man has been arrested after a near-collision in Vancouver resulted in a pedestrian pulling out a gun and shooting at a driver. Police say the shooting happened Saturday on Commercial Drive near E. 12th Avenue. They say a motorist stopped abruptly to avoid hitting a jaywalker, and the two exchanged words.

Vancouver police say jaywalking pedestrian pulled gun, started shooting at driver