VICTORIA — British Columbia’s finance minister shelved the tradition of buying new shoes to present her budget in favour of reading a story Monday to a group of three- and four-year-old youngsters at a Victoria child care centre.
Carole James said her husband has promised to shine up her favourite pair of shoes for Tuesday’s budget, giving her time to read Pete the Cat to 14 children who gathered around the minister.
James said Pete’s feline adventures hiking through strawberry fields and mud puddles in white sneakers are somewhat similar to her budget because the journey ends well.
“I think, as you saw in the story, no matter what, it’ll all be good in the end,” James told reporters attending her per-budget news conference.
She would not comment directly on whether the budget will be balanced.
Late last year, James forecast a reduced surplus of $190 million for the 2017-2018 budget. But she said economic growth was forecast at 2.9 per cent.
She said tax revenues were down and costs associated with fighting last year’s wildfires continued to increase, and were estimated to go beyond $550 million.
The minority New Democrat government’s election promises to drop tolls on two Metro Vancouver bridges and cut medical services premiums by 50 per cent are expected to impact the bottom line.
Financial difficulties at the publicly owned Insurance Corp. of B.C. and a rate freeze at Crown utility B.C. Hydro also place pressure on the budget.
Liberal jobs critic Jas Johal said he wants a budget that respects taxpayers.
“I’m not sure how they are going to pay for all that,” he said. “I don’t want the province to fall into deficit.”
James said her choice of a child-care centre for a pre-budget news conference was more than symbolic because her budget will aim to make life more affordable for B.C. families, with a large focus on child care.
The New Democrats promised $10-a-day child care during last year’s election campaign, but are now saying their plan involves creating tens of thousands of affordable, licensed child care spaces over a decade.
“It’s a 10-year plan and you’ll see a major commitment,” James said. “Nothing could be more important than child care. I think it will be no surprise to you that child care is a big feature with the budget.”
Plans to make housing more affordable are also part of the budget, she said.
James has said the budget includes initiatives to increase the supply of affordable homes for families, students and seniors, and measures to dampen speculation in the real estate market.
She said the budget will take a multi-pronged approach to create more housing options in a province where some seniors are forced to couch surf with friends and working couples are living in basement rentals because they can’t afford a down payment on a home.
The government’s throne speech last week promised the largest investment in affordable housing in the province’s history.