Columbia River Revelstoke MLA Doug Clovechok is on a whirlwind tour across the province with the Budget Consultation Committee. He was in Kimberley on Tuesday, June 11 with the committee, which is made up of MLAs of all parties, to hear from British Columbians on what they want to see funded in the upcoming provincial budget.
“We had a few billion in asks,” Clovechok said. “Some of the requests are very unique to a particular area, others we are hearing again and again.”
Clovechok spoke to the Bulletin from Kelowna and was about to head to Kamloops and then on to Vancouver Island. The committee is not a decision making committee but will take the input they have received and make recommendations to the Finance Minister.
“Yesterday in Kimberley, we heard from Mayor McCormick about the Residential Tenancy Act, and how it is actually removing supply from the market.
“The Meadowbrook Community Association talked to us about the old Ministry of Transport pit. They say maybe it’s time for the Ministry to remediate it. We also heard from Kimberley CBAL (Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy).”
As for things he was hearing in many communities, Clovechok says funding for dealing with invasive species was a big one, as was childcare, or the lack thereof.
“There were a lot of questions around the $10 per day daycare and why that didn’t happen,” he said. “Watershed issues are widespread. The colleges were all at the table.”
Overall, Clovechok says that it’s been a great experience talking to British Columbians.