Eby resolves to keep spending in new year, making most of forecast budget windfall
Instead he said he plans to make the most of a potential bumper surplus, undeterred by a slim growth forecast.
The government’s most recent economic update forecasts a budget surplus of $5.7 billion this year, a huge turnaround from the original $5.5 billion deficit projection.Eby, 46, was sworn in as B.C.’s 37th premier in November, replacing John Horgan, and immediately announced a $100 cost-of-living credit on residents’ electricity bills, an affordability credit for low- and middle-income residents and an initiative to hire more police officers.
There will also be a focus on removal of homeless encampments at Vancouver’s CRAB Park and the Downtown Eastside, said Eby, who reiterated his promise not to call an early election in 2023. “The budget initiatives, the initiatives in the legislature, are all informed by these priorities and that will continue to be the government’s focus.”
The government will also address the issue of homelessness in Vancouver and across B.C., said Eby, a former lawyer for the Pivot Legal Society and executive director of the BC Civil Liberties Association. The government will convene roundtable discussions in communities across B.C. to find ways to support the rapid opening of shelters and housing options for homeless people, said Eby.
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