B.C. budget: Greens will support it, even if housing actions aren’t ‘bold’ enough for them

Generally, the BC Greens seem happy with the budget presented by the NDP on Tuesday.

But some of its actions simply don’t go far enough for them.

Coverage of the B.C. budget on Globalnews.ca:

1:57 Spending and tax increases in NDP budget

• Spending and tax increases in NDP budget
• NDP budget tackles housing affordability crisis
• B.C. finance minister addresses affordable housing in budget speech
• Budget speech commits to ‘made in B.C.’ childcare plan
• Behind the scenes of B.C. budget lockup

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“It’s clearly a budget that’s meant to put people first and correct some of the perceived wrongs that have happened over the last number of years,” BC Green Party leader Andrew Weaver said Tuesday.

“We are very pleased to see a recognition of the housing crisis that’s there. The steps that are brought forward are welcome first steps.”

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READ MORE: New B.C. housing taxes might not knock down prices, but they could help tame them

But those steps aren’t quite “bold” enough for the BC Greens.

Weaver was concerned that the foreign buyer and speculation taxes would only apply to specific areas – namely Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley, Kelowna, West Kelowna and the Nanaimo and Capital Regional Districts.

He’s worried that approach could just “kick the problem into other areas.”

But Weaver spoke more highly of the BC NDP’s plans for child care, which will see households making less than $45,000 “pay little if any child care expenses,” he noted.

“It’s going to people who need it, so we’re very supportive of that,” Weaver said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It's going to people who need it, so we're very supportive of that," Weaver said.

The opposition BC Liberals were less enthusiastic about the budget.

Finance critic Shirley Bond called the budget a “significant attack on job creators in British Columbia.”

“If you can imagine adding a payroll tax, a carbon tax, the list of taxes is lengthy, on the very people that the NDP government are assuming will grow the economy,” she said.

“We see a budget, promises being funded on the backs of job creators in the province.”