By Lorne Doerkson
By nearly every metric, life in B.C. is getting more expensive.
We know that inflation is taking a real toll on people. Over 50 per cent of households in B.C. are less than $200 away from insolvency at the end of each month and people are turning to government, wondering what is being done to address these significant challenges.
Unfortunately, there is not much good news for those looking for relief. In fact, the recent quarterly report on B.C.’s finances revealed that the deficit has increased by $2.5 billion in the first quarter, bringing the total forecast deficit to $6.7 billion. That’s a massive increase in just a few months’ time.
This astounding figure raises numerous questions about how taxpayer dollars are being spent. However, the main question on my mind when hearing this news, is how are British Columbians benefiting from these billions of extra dollars being spent by government?
While government may be sending more money out the door than ever before, looking around, I don’t think I’ve met a single person who can say their life and finances have improved dramatically in the past year, so where is the money going? How can this expenditure be justified when gas prices continue to increase, housing prices have reached record highs, and it’s getting more difficult than ever for people to put food on the table for their families?
It’s becoming clear that what we are seeing is a failure of policy, not a failure of funding. I think many people in the current government have good intentions and truly want to make life better for people, but with each day that passes it feels increasingly like they do not know how to make that a reality.
It’s mystifying that the province has managed to rack up a deficit of billions of dollars and yet our health care system remains in a state of crisis. Emergency departments regularly close due to staffing challenges, patients are being sent to the U.S. for treatment, and one in five British Columbians don’t have a family doctor.
This government is spending more on infrastructure than ever, yet projects are years behind schedule and smaller in scope. They’re spending millions on social housing, yet more people than ever are homeless. No amount of money seems to be making a difference on crime, or the mental health and addictions crisis putting people in our communities at risk.
It’s evident that we need to make smarter spending decisions in our province: investing in people, and taking steps to address the problems facing British Columbians every day. We need effective change and real action.
Lorne Doerkson is the MLA for Cariboo-Chilcotin.
