Social services, health, environmental, education and union representatives were among the many groups that panned B.C. Financial Minister Colin Hansen's provincial budget priorities after his presentation at the legislature Tuesday (March 2).
Government watchers were warned beforehand the budget would reflect some "belt-tightening" in the wake of the province's $2.8-billion deficit budget update last September, as tax, export and natural resources revenue collapsed during the worldwide economic recession.
Last summer, the government was loudly criticized for chopping numerous ministry budgets, and cutting $650-million from administrative and discretionary spending, with a promise to balance the books by 2013.
The criticism continued this week, as Hansen announced $108 million over three years to support families with an introduction of full-day kindergarten, youth sports development, and community level arts activities, childcare of low-income families and a new property tax deferral program for families with children under 18 - all of which failed to hit the mark set by advocacy groups and the opposition.
West Vancouver-Sea to Sky Corridor MLA Joan McIntyre pointed to the "really important overarching theme" that the province is still on target to reduce the deficit, and "to being out of this" by 2013.
"We're not out of this yet so I think it's good that we've been as prudent as we have to still be able to be on track, so I think that's very reassuring," she said.
To those who would question the province's spending of over $700 million for the Olympic Games, she pointed out some of the infrastructure money spent on the Winter Olympics benefits the corridor directly since the area can now host Nordic competitions in the Callaghan Valley. She also pointed out that the expenditures on sports and arts legacies, and hosting duties were already within the province's mandate - they simply "hung their hats" on Olympic activities to accomplish that mandate.
"It's not just things spent on a two-week or month-long event, they're long term investments," she said.
However the Council of Tourism Associations (COTA), while expressing appreciation for the reinstatement of gaming grants, and that additional hotel room tax (AHRT) program will continue beyond July 1, 2011, said the budget fails to leverage the Olympics since funding for tourism development will be relatively unchanged, and tourism staffing levels are expected to be maintained, though with continued budgetary constraints for travel, research, and other support areas.
Funding for provincial-level marketing (formerly through Tourism BC) will be reduced by roughly $6 million for 2010/11, reducing the opportunity tocapitalize on the exposure related to the 2010 Games, and convert Games viewers to tourist spending, said Jim Storie, chair of COTA.
"The budget specifically states 'the post-Games period is most critical to long-term success' yet we do not see that reflected in these documents with regard to tourism investments," said Storie. New Democrat Leader Carole James said the budget fails to provide support for the province's most vulnerable.
"There was nothing in this budget to address child poverty, the growing income gap, or lack of affordable housing," said James.
The B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU) criticized the government for neglecting to restore the almost 100 community-based programs cut, and the $10 million cut to programs funded by the Ministry of Child and Family Development, since September's budget update.
"The services that have been cut and the ones on the chopping block are the ones that turn people's lives around and build strong foundations for the future of our province," said BCGEU president Darryl Walker.
The Canadian Union of Employees (CUPE) criticized the province for doing too little to stimulate job growth, saying there's too much reliance on the new Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) for increasing revenue, since it will not be "revenue neutral" - as the government has claimed - for most B.C. families, provincial CUPE president Barry O'Neill states.
And while the Sierra Club B.C. acknowledged the "small snack" provided to environmental initiatives -$100 million slated for climate action and clean energy development, and $35 million to revive the popular LiveSmart program - these "pale in comparison" to a projected $282 million in subsidies this year alone for the oil and gas sector, said its executive director George Heyman.
The budget also includes $274 million for the electrification of Highway 37, an initiative that will support carbon-intensive coal mining and other mining mega-projects, as well as $200 million to upgrade roads in B.C.'s northeast for the oil and gas sector.
