Stikine MLA Doug Donaldson shared his thoughts on the budget.
He was hoping to see more hydro and ICBC affordability for Northerners but heard zero relief from Victoria.
“Hydro rates have gone up 28% under Premier Clark and a lot of people in the North use electricity to heat their home,” he says, “We just had a 5.5% increase in ICBC rates and people in the North have to drive an awful lot.”
The government promised to invest $3.1 billion in Provincial transportation but made no mention of Highway 16.
“We know that our highways are really, really in need of repair. They’re in need of passing lanes with the increased truck traffic we’re seeing and industrial traffic. I’ll be looking into the budget in more detail there but it wasn’t a good sign that it wasn’t mentioned right off the bat.”
Donaldson did say he was glad to see more money for the Ministry of Children and Family development.