2026 BUDGET

Look at someone’s bank statement and you can see what they value.

Budgets are a statement of values and showcase priorities.

Unfortunately, any inspection of Budget 2026 reveals that this government’s priority is not the honest, hard-working people of British Columbia.

This budget may attempt to address a serious deficit problem.

But the biggest question isn’t about whether the numbers add up.

The real question is whether the choices it reflects were made with compassion, fairness, and responsibility — or whether British Columbians will be left feeling forgotten, overburdened, and worse, unheard.

Are they working for us, or simply downloading today’s deficit onto the next generation?

It has long been said that a society is best judged by how it treats the elderly, young, and vulnerable.

From all appearances, seniors, young people, working families, rural communities, and small businesses are not only victims of this budget – they are targets.

SENIORS

Seniors who built this province, raised our families, and contributed to our economy for decades, are now facing rising costs, shrinking services and uncertainty in healthcare.

I realize that for many seniors in the Salmon Arm-Shuswap region and across the province this budget is a signal about whether or not government truly understands the reality of what you are facing. Unfortunately, this budget reveals that this government either does not care or is not listening.   

RISING COSTS AND UNCERTAIN CARE

Across this province seniors are facing the perfect storm.

Rising costs.

Stretched health services.

Limited housing options.

And a growing uncertainty about whether help will be there when they need it.

Budget 2026 does little to acknowledge or alleviate these concerns and, in some cases, makes them worse.

How can this NDP government justify taxing yarn, clothing patterns and natural fibers that could be made into a future sweater for a grandchild or loved one?

How can this NDP government tax basic cable and landline telephone services when that will disproportionately impact seniors?

HEALTH SPENDING VS. REAL CARE

The government will highlight an increase in overall health care spending as evidence that the system is improving.

Critics and senior advocates have been clear, additional health funding does not sufficiently target long term care, assisted living or home support services. That means, seniors needing help still struggle to access home care. Such is the case for many people in the Salmon Arm-Shuswap region, especially those living in rural areas.

LONG-TERM CARE DELAYS

One of the most troubling issues with this budget is the decision to pause or “re-pace” long term care construction projects about the province. We already know that those waiting for long term care placement are waiting months, and in some cases far longer. Polson extended care in Vernon, as well as Ida View Manor and Bastion Place in Salmon Arm are stretched to the limit, with rising future demand inevitable.

AGING AT HOME BECOMING HARDER

Seniors who can no longer safely live at home are left waiting.

Waiting in hospital beds.

Waiting in emergency departments.

Waiting in housing that no longer meets their needs.

Meanwhile, long term care projects are delayed, and the negative impact is immediate. As seniors continue to wait for appropriate care, families shoulder more and more responsibility with less and less support. Hospitals remain congested with patients who should be in care homes.

Our province is aging faster than ever. This lack of target investment is not just shortsighted, it’s irresponsible. This is not compassion care. This is a system failure that is straining communities with aging populations, and those living in rural and semi-rural regions, like the Salmon Arm-Shuswap.

Budget 2026 tells seniors with complex care needs -- and those providing care – to simply make it work. Long term care projects are postponed, despite repeated warnings from advocates that this is where pressure can be relieved and dignity preserved.

TAX CHANGES AFFECTING SENIORS

At the same the government quietly makes it more expensive for seniors to stay in their homes. Property tax deferment interest rates are raised to prime plus 2%, and interest now compounds monthly.

For seniors on fixed incomes, that’s not a technical change.

It’s a financial squeeze that grows every single month.

This budget makes aging in place harder, not easier.

HIDDEN SERVICE REDUCTIONS

Budget 2026 also includes plans to reduce the size of public service by not replacing employees who retire or leave, along with implementing hiring freezes.

These choices won’t be labeled as “seniors cuts.”

Seniors rely heavily on health administration, social service coordination, community support programs, caseworkers and system navigators. When staffing levels drop, phone calls go unanswered, paperwork piles up, and wait times grow.

As a result, seniors — often the least able to navigate complex systems — are left to fend for themselves. This is how services erode quietly without ever being called out.

Many seniors:

- live on fixed incomes

- do not benefit from wage increases

- cannot work extra hours to absorb rising costs

TAX CHANGES AND “BRACKET CREEP”

This budget raises serious concerns about tax fairness. It pauses the normal adjustments made to tax brackets that account for inflation. When tax brackets are not updated, even modest wage increases meant to keep up with the rising cost of living can push people into higher tax brackets over time — a process known as “bracket creep.”

As a result, people can end up paying more in taxes even though their income has only increased slightly to keep pace with inflation. For seniors, this can mean paying more in taxes without any real increase in their income. The purchasing power of pensions declines. Essentials like food, utilities, medication and transportation become harder to afford. For seniors budgeting carefully each month, this is just another squeeze.

PROPERTY TAX DEFERMENT CHANGES

Changes to the property tax deferment program have received very little attention. Under Budget 2026, interest on deferred taxes will now compound monthly instead of being charged as simple interest. This means new deferrals will become significantly more expensive over time.

For seniors who are house-rich but cash-poor, this could erode their home equity faster and discourage many from using the program at all. This has a profound effect on seniors living in rural and remote areas, which directly speaks to many constituents in the Salmon Arm-Shuswap region. Many have retired to the area and now face challenges remaining in their homes — or will face those challenges in the future.

This budget was an opportunity to prepare for an aging population. Instead, seniors received delayed care, stretched services, rising costs, and shrinking support. Seniors are not asking for special treatment, they’re asking for foresight, fairness, and a little bit of respect. Budget 2026 does not meet that test.

YOUNG PEOPLE

When we examine the challenges of seniors compared to young people, we see a different stage of life but the same pattern of delay and displacement.

HOUSING SUPPLY AND AFFORDABILITY

The government speaks often about housing and affordability. Yet, this budget quietly pulls back from the very programs meant to deliver supply. The community housing fund is indefinitely closed, capital delivery is re-paced, and projects are delayed.

Less supply does not mean affordability.

It means higher rents.

Longer commutes.

And the possibility of more young families leaving communities altogether.

I would like to see young families stay and contribute in my region, rather than relocating to Alberta. You cannot claim to be addressing affordability while slowing housing delivery. Those two things do not reconcile.

POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION PRESSURES

Budget 2026 also provides flat operating funding to colleges and universities while costs continue to rise. The result of this is predictable: fewer course offerings, larger class sizes, reduced student services, upward pressure on fees. Education is an investment for a better future for all.

TRANSIT AND ACCESS TO OPPORTUNITY

Budget 2026 effectively freezes transit funding as well. Inflation alone erodes service levels. Young people, students, entry-level workers and apprentices rely heavily on transit to access education and employment. In rural and semi-rural communities like Scotch Creek, Sorrento, and Sicamous, limited transportation compounds isolation and reduces workforce participation.

 Budget 2026 raises the lowest personal income tax rate and pauses indexing. What does that mean for younger residents who are generally at the lower end of the tax bracket? It means they may pay more in their paycheck. Inflation will quietly raise the effect of tax burdens. And government revenues will rise without transparency. This is bracket creep and hits those least able to absorb it.

CHILD CARE - THE $10-A-DAY CHILDCARE PROMISE

For young families, this government long promised affordable, accessible childcare with a $10 a day commitment. Yet, budget 2026 quietly pauses the expansion of that program. Existing families keep their subsidies, but no new spaces and new provider enrollment is effectively frozen. Only a small fraction of spaces actually met the $10-a-day target announced by the NDP. Most families still pay far more than promised and sit on wait lists that stretch into the unforeseeable future.

A system that exists in theory but not in practice is not affordability, it is a roadblock to meaningful employment for many families in this province. There is no serious plan to restore affordability. No urgency in housing supply. No bold investment in workforce development.

Yet, budget 2026 moves us closer to that reality.

THE VULNERABLE

When we connect the impact on seniors and youth, we see the same pattern playing out most harshly on the vulnerable.

-              Mental health funding is cut at the Ministry of Children and Family Development

-              Autism supports are in jeopardy

-              Children in care receive rhetoric without prevention

-              Seniors with complex needs face delayed care

-              Low income households face higher taxes

Those who are most at risk live in our communities. They live in places like Falkland, Malakwa, and Blind Bay, and near every one of us, no matter where we live. And this budget has failed them.

When we look past the headlines, past the slogans, past the spin, we’re left with a troubling reality.

Community based advocates have been prominently quoted in the media and organizational releases, urging the government not to overlook the broader health supports. The autism funding program is being phased out by March 31st 2027, replaced by two new funding streams, plus expanded community services.

Business in Vancouver commentary by Rob Shaw reports that, “the redesign could leave 10,000 BC kids with less support.” Childcare director's note that well-staffed quality care for children requires adequate funding for educators and current struggles could affect access going forward.

The BC care providers associations said, “this budgets lack of immediate funding for seniors care is appalling,” Warning that about 7000 seniors already on long term care waitlists will face further delays and place more pressure on emergency rooms as result. Canadian centre for policy alternatives stated that, “the budgets impact will fall on low to moderate income households.” Budget 2026 fails them all.

MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES

Yet this budget cuts $3,000,000 for the Ministry of Children and Family Development’s mental health budget. That's not trimming the fat, that's cutting preventative care. Those dollars pay for early intervention, youth counseling, and family supports. The very services that stop people from ending up in the emergency rooms, police cells, or even worse. At the same time, there are no new investments in mental health services beyond what was already announced last year.

All three involuntary care facilities referenced by the government were announced previously. Budgeted 2026 added nothing new. Yet, emergency departments are overwhelmed, police officers are doing mental health work they were never trained for, and families are begging for help. That's not compassion, that's managed neglect.

AUTISM AND DEVELOPMENTAL SUPPORTS

Families raising children with autism and developmental disabilities already carry an extraordinary emotional and financial burden. This budget offers them silence. There is:

-              No new autism specific investments, only a new funding model

-              No increase to therapy caps

-              No increase to unit funding

-              No plan for youth aging out of services when they turn 18

When inflation rises, demand grows, costs increase.

CHILDREN IN CARE

The government often speaks about protecting children, but protection requires prevention. Cutting mental health funding undermines youth supports, family reunification efforts, and trauma informed care. Especially for indigenous children who remain vastly overrepresented in care. There are no new investments in:

-              Youth transition housing

-              Wrap around services for complex behavior needs

-              Supports for neo diverse children in care

This is not responsible government--it's a very expensive indifference.

Affordability is not improving, it’s deteriorating. This NDP budget raises the lowest personal income tax rate--the first increase in that bracket in more than two decades. It pauses tax bracket indexation, guaranteeing that inflation will quietly push people into higher taxes even if their purchasing power never increases. It expands PST into areas like professional and Security Service, a cost that will get passed on directly to consumers.

Who pays for tax preparation? Who pays strata management fees? Who pays when their businesses is vandalized? Working families, seniors, and small business owners who are barely hanging on, that’s who.

HOUSING - RENTAL ASSISTANCE AND HOUSING SUPPORTS

Housing insecurity is not solved by announcements. Budget 2026 introduces no new enhancements or new rental assistance programs for seniors or low-income renters. One commentary on the budget notes that, “there are no new increases to Shelter Aid for Elderly Residents (SAFER) or Rental Assistance Program (RAP) supplements”, despite high rates of unaffordable housing among senior renters.

At the same time, capital projects that are tide to support housing, student housing, and community health infrastructures are delayed and titled “re-pacing.”

And we all know when housing falls short, homelessness grows. When homelessness grows, pressure explodes across healthcare, policing, and social services. This budget offers no structural response.

PUBLIC SAFETY AND TREATMENT CAPACITY

British Columbians were told that decriminalization would improve outcomes. Instead, this NDP government has committed roughly $19,000,000 to monitoring and evaluation, while admitting, it moved ahead without reliable baseline data. There are no meaningful new investments in long term treatment beds, no expansion of recovery housing, no serious rural access strategy.

Downtowns deteriorate.

Families grieve.

Communities feel unsafe.

Yet the government calls it a “learning experience.” British Columbia deserve much better.

It's abundantly clear that this budget fails the elderly, the young, and the most vulnerable. British Columbia is not third world jurisdiction. We should be a prosperous province. One that has outcomes that reflect our shared values: caring for our neighbours, protecting those who cannot protect themselves, and providing a credible roadmap that gives future generations confidence, opportunity, and hope.

While we step back and look at budget 2026, it becomes clear:

It is not a budget of renewal.

It is not a budget of recovery.

It is not a budget of confidence.   

It is a budget of decline – and I must oppose it.