 |
| Original News Release |
|
| Original News Release |
Balanced Budget 2005 sets out the provinces spending plans for
the next three
fiscal years. It also commits one-time
funding to priority programs from the 2004/05 year-end dividend. Key
initiatives are detailed below.
Economic Development Initiatives
Budget 2005 provides an additional $777 million for
economic development initiatives throughout British Columbia.
Agriculture and
Aquaculture
Budget 2005 provides an additional $49 million for
programs to enhance the provinces agricultural and aquaculture industries, and
to protect food safety. Government will direct:
$27 million for assistance and prevention
related to BSE and avian flu;
$6 million for fisheries including
inspection, monitoring and improvements in aquatic animal health; and
$16 million for other initiatives
including crop insurance funding, research and innovation.
Forestry
Budget 2005 provides an additional $266 million for
initiatives including:
$101 million to address the economic
impacts of the mountain pine beetle and forest fires, while providing new
opportunities to industry and communities by:
Facilitating new strategies for using
beetle wood.
Supporting economic diversification
planning for affected communities.
Increasing reforestation of areas damaged
by beetles and wildfire.
An additional $50 million for the Forestry
Revitalization Trust, a fund created in
2003 to assist workers and contractors
affected by timber reallocation.
$50 million to compensate companies
affected by tenure reform.
$51 million for fuel management and to
fully implement the recommendations from the Filmon Report. This includes the
addition of two air tankers, hiring seven unit crews and funding for community
wildfire protection plans.
$14 million to improve rural recreation
access.
Oil and Gas,
Mining
Budget 2005 provides an additional $110 million to help
create economic development opportunities in the oil, gas and mining sectors.
This includes:
$50 million to improve rural and northern
access through road building and upgrading.
$25 million to create a new B.C. Centre
for Geoscience to develop and publish
geoscience data and enhance exploration in
the mining and oil and gas sectors.
$18 million to implement the Mining Plan
including measures to improve mine safety and services to the mining sector.
$17 million for initiatives to foster a
competitive and environmentally responsible
oil and gas industry, including work to
engage stakeholders and communities in all areas of oil and gas development.
Infrastructure
Budget 2005 provides an additional $207 million in new
funding for municipal and regional infrastructure across British Columbia,
with:
$97 million for municipal infrastructure
projects including the new BC Community
Water Improvement Program and the Community
Development Initiative.
$60 million for major post-secondary
sports training facilities.
$50 million for regional sports
facilities.
Tourism
Budget 2005 provides an additional $81 million to
enhance economic development opportunities that build on British Columbias
thriving tourism industry, and:
Further government's goal to double
tourism revenues within a decade.
Help communities in every region of
British Columbia draw new tourists.
Children
Budget 2005 provides an additional $241 million to
enhance the capacity of families and communities to care for and protect
vulnerable children and youth, including:
$76 million for infant and early childhood
vision, dental and hearing screening initiatives.
$26 million to support prevention and
out-of-care options to keep children safe within their families and
communities.
$5 million to make more families eligible
for child care subsidies.
$134 million to enhance services to
children and youth with special needs, including:
$14 million for enhanced diagnostic and
assessment services through the
Ministry of Health Services for children who
have developmental behavioural conditions.
Over $40 million to the Ministry of
Children and Family Development to improve intervention for families and
children affected by developmental behavioural conditions, including Fetal
Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, and to improve access to key family support
services.
Close to $80 million to enhance services
to children and youth with special needs in the K-12 school system.
Communities
Budget 2005 provides an additional $618 million for key
services and programs to support B.C.s communities. Investments include:
$194 million to assist persons with
disabilities and enhance their self-reliance by increasing their income
assistance by $70 per month or nine per cent for a single person with
disabilities.
$95 million to return 100 per cent of
traffic fine revenues to 70 municipalities; the funds may be used for community
policing, crime prevention, and other initiatives to make communities safer.
$91 million for adult community living
services including support for families through family care residential
settings and day programs.
$78 million to the Ministry of Human
Resources to reflect the growth and changing composition of the income
assistance caseload.
$48 million by 2007/08 to address
homelessness, including funds for emergency shelters and support services.
$36 million for social housing that
focuses on helping people move to stable housing arrangements.
$25 million for the Arts and Culture
Endowment Fund that will leverage private sector support to build endowments
for arts and culture organizations. The BC Arts Council will also receive an
additional $3 million annually.
$15 million for family law initiatives
designed to balance the needs of citizens with the capacity of the legal
system.
Over $14 million for B.C. Skills Connect
for Immigrants, a program to help new
British Columbians find work in their fields
of expertise.
$12 million to public libraries across
B.C. for new programs and initiatives including broadband Internet access, a
24-hour virtual reference desk and a one-card system to provide access to books
in any B.C. library.
Education
Budget 2005 provides an additional $622 million to the
Ministry of Education, which allows for a $150 million increase in funding for
2005/06 the largest increase in a decade. These funds will help provide
improved access to:
School libraries and quality learning
resources.
Music and arts programs.
Resources to support every special needs
student.
A new school-based literacy innovation
program.
Environment
Budget 2005 provides an additional $150 million to
enhance environmental protection and land-use certainty in British Columbia,
including:
$91 million for the investigation and
remediation of contaminated sites on Crown land.
$5 million to increase the capacity of the
Environmental Assessment Office.
$16 million to increase the number of park
rangers and conservation officers and establish a B.C. Conservation Corps to
provide seasonal employment opportunities for students.
$30 million to support land-use planning
activities including the completion and implementation of Land and Resource
Management Plans.
$8 million to implement the Drinking Water Protection Act, including research into the protection of
surface and ground water.
Health Care
Budget 2005 provides an additional $3.8 billion to help
improve access to critical services such as cancer care, cardiac care, joint
replacements and sight restoration, with:
$465 million for PharmaCare, to provide
financial assistance for prescription drugs.
$200 million for life supporting drugs and
services for cancer, cardiac, renal and transplant patient, and for better
access to hip and knee replacements, diagnostics, and other acute care
services.
$100 million for public health initiatives
including Act Now BC a health promotion and prevention program, immunization
programs, water and food security and health emergency management.
$100 million to the BC Ambulance Service
to enhance its capacity.
$100 million for health research.
$77 million for recruitment, training and
retention of nurses.
$200 million to improve access to home
care, residential care, palliative care, mental health and addictions services.
2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (2010
Olympics)
Through Budget 2005, the
province will have funded $328 million of its $600 million commitment to the
2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games by 2007/08. This funding provides for:
Venues.
An endowment to support the ongoing
operation of certain venues.
Medical and security costs.
Legacies for sports, First Nations and
municipalities.
Post-Secondary Education
Budget 2005 provides an additional $372 million in
funding for post-secondary education, including fully funding the provinces
share of costs for 16,205 seats up to 2007/08 with an overall goal to add
25,000 seats by 2010.
The province will provide $450 million for
student financial assistance including loan reductions for students in need,
debt relief, a loan forgiveness program and grants for students with
disabilities.
Capital
Budget 2005 supports over $3 billion in annual capital
investment, reflecting governments priorities in the K-12, post-secondary and
health sectors and Crown agencies. Some key commitments are:
$1.5 billion over 15 years for seismic
upgrading in K-12 schools.
$800 million in capital funding for
infrastructure to accommodate post-secondary seat growth and facilitate
research activities.
$735 million in capital grants to health
authorities (including federal funding) for new major construction, equipment
and upgrading of existing health facilities.
$416 million to expand and upgrade the
Vancouver Convention Centre including funding on behalf of Tourism Vancouver
and the federal government which will be reimbursed over time.
Safety
Budget 2005 provides an additional $198 million to help
keep communities safe and prevent violence against women with:
$122 million to add 215 RCMP officers
throughout B.C. and increase support for the courts and corrections.
$39 million for community corrections
programs and corrections facilities, including safety measures.
Over $37 million for transition homes,
outreach programs, counselling and related services for women and children
fleeing domestic violence.
Transportation
Budget 2005 supports continued investment in the
provinces transportation plan, including:
$438 million for highway rehabilitation
throughout the province.
$317 million for continuing improvements
on the Sea-to-Sky Highway.
$291 million for Gateway initiatives that
enhance British Columbia's competitiveness.
$225 million for Interior and rural roads.
$200 million for provincial contributions
to the Richmond-Airport-Vancouver rapid transit project.
$88 million for the Okanagan Valley
Corridor and Okanagan Lake Bridge.
$32 million for airport and port
improvements.
$26 million for improvements to Highway 1
at Kicking Horse Canyon.
$79 million for border crossing
infrastructure.
-30-
|
contact: |
Communications Director Ministry of Finance 250 356-2821 |
|
|
|
||
|
Visit the Province's website at www.gov.bc.ca for online information and services. |
||
