Finance Minister Colin Hansen presented what some are calling the 'stay the course' budget Tuesday afternoon at the legislature in Victoria. Others counter it does little for health care, arts and culture and education.
"We are enhancing support for B.C.'s families, meeting our financial targets, maintaining our commitments to health and education, and we are on track to return to balanced budgets in 2013," said Hansen in his budget speech.
In education, per-pupil funding for students in the K-12 levels will rise from $8,200 in 2009/10 to an estimated $8,301 for 2010/11.
Further supporting families and early-childhood education, the introduction of full-day kindergarten for five-year-olds is being phased in starting this September, and as it becomes fully operational, annual funding will rise to $129 million by 2012. In the post-secondary sector, funding remains stable at $1.88 billion in 2010/11.
School District No. 46 board chair Silas White said he is generally happy and relieved that per pupil funding has been increased and that there are funding mechanisms in place to pay for the teacher salary increases and full-day kindergarten.
"We're also relieved that the annual facilities grant has been half-way if not completely put all the way back," White said. "That annual grant helps pay for all the renovations and major maintenance projects for the school district that were cut in September 2009, so that's great news."
New Democrat MLA for Powell River-Sunshine Coast Nicholas Simons said overall he felt "underwhelmed" by the budget and that not enough emphasis was put on education, health and social programs.
"I think the government was pre-occupied when they came in with the budget update in September. They started with the cuts then, and now they've continued those cuts," Simons said.
White said more could have been done for education, but in general he was satisfied with what the government tabled.
"Boards across the province, combined with parents and teachers, lobbied hard for education, and I think that certainly helped," he said. "Our school board appreciates the support from this community advocating on behalf of us."
Sunshine Coast Teachers' Association president Jenny Garrels echoed some of White's thoughts: "It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, but it is not near as much as I would have liked," she said.
"I think the funding for full-day kindergarten and the teachers' salary increase is great, but it won't help fund much else," she said. "The partial restoration of the annual facilities grant is also helpful to districts, especially ours, but there are still cuts to be made, and that's a concern."
Other budget highlights from Hansen included:
By 2012/13 the Min-istry of Health Services' budget will increase by more than $2 billion from the 2009/10 level. Total health spending will reach $17.9 billion or 42 per cent of all government expenditures over the next three years.
In the environment, government is committing $100 million to climate action and clean-energy development, initiatives that will support new jobs and investments in B.C. communities, while lowering greenhouse gas emissions. An additional $35 million will also be invested in the successful LiveSmart BC program for household-energy audits and energy-efficiency retrofits.
The budget also provides $60 million over the next three years as a legacy for sports and the arts. Of the $60 million, half will be used to enhance opportunities among British Columbians in the arts, such as visual art, music, theatre and dance. The other $30 million will facilitate increased participation in youth sport, including improved athlete and coach development.
Simons said health, environment and arts funding are all things he would have liked to see a greater emphasis on.
"It's our responsibility as the official opposition to get the government to focus in on issues of concern," Simons said. "The focus was not in the areas that I feel are priorities."
When asked by Coast Reporter what his government would have done differently, Simons said that was a tough question.
"That's a hard question because it's not just up to one person, so I can't fully answer that," he said. "I do agree we need to propose ideas through discussion and debate, and we'll continue to do that."
