The provincial government released its budget Tuesday and so far there hasn’t been much positive press about it.
The budget ignores feedback on senior’s care suggested by the Senior Health Ombudsman as well as keeping the status quo on just about everything else. Education and healthcare did receive increased funding of four per cent each, but that’s not exactly optimistic.
Minister Peter Falcon also talked about a need to increase efficiency in the health care system.
What that most likely alludes to is a need to privatize health care, which MLA Katrine Conroy said is a way for the B.C. Liberals to get that expense out of their books.
She cautions that privatization will end up being more expensive in the long run and more expensive to regular citizens.
Who will really benefit? The big businesses. While cuts came to important institutions to the province, like the Ministry of Forests, the corporate taxes that big businesses pay won’t change for this budget year.
There is also a lack of support for industry training and jobs in this area.
NDP finance critic Bruce Ralston said in a recent article that he had hoped there would be more support for skills training and to match people who are looking for a job to the growing need for high-skill jobs.
Without that support and support for institutions like Selkirk College, the area will lose skilled workers to the more booming economy in northern B.C. and Alberta.