Expect the official opposition BC United to begin hammering the NDP on affordability as the new session of the legislature opens today in Victoria.
Opposition House leader and Kamloops-South Thompson MLA Todd Stone says while BC United will continue to hold the Eby government to account on various issues, including crime and decriminalization, he says the biggest issue facing everyone in BC is the cost of living.
“We have the highest rents in Canada, the worst housing affordability in North America, highest gas prices in the country,” notes Stone. “Grocery prices are continuing to increase. Mortgage costs are skyrocketing because of interest rates.”
Another issue on the opposition’s radar is spending, with the fiscal-year deficit now being projected at 6.7-billion dollars, up from the 4.2-billion projected back in August.
“It took 154 years of successive provincial governments in BC to build up a debt of about 50-billlion,” contends Stone. “David Eby and the NDP have doubled that debt to almost 100-billion in 6-and-a-half years.”
Stone also suggests BC United will also be unveiling its plans on taxes in the weeks ahead, arguing the NDP government has hit BC with 29 new taxes since taking office six years ago.
This fall’s legislative sitting is due to unveil a number of different moves by the government, including on housing.
Government house leader and Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon has promised new legislation to address permitting and zoning challenges, strengthen enforcement of short-term rentals and deliver more small-scale, multi-unit housing.
The fall sitting also sees some changes in the political dynamic in the House.
The Conservative Party of BC now has official party status — and a nearly 400-thousand-dollar annual budget — after former BC United MLA Bruce Banman crossed the floor last month to join John Rustad.
The Office of the Clerk has said it appears to be the first time four parties will have “official status,” although it’s not the only time four parties have been represented.
–With files from the Canadian Press
