A year after the BC NDP made affordability the centerpiece of its pre-election budget, the government has unveiled a far more modest package of new spending amid U.S. tariffs.
Ahead of the 2025 budget, Premier David Eby announced the government would scrap its centrepiece affordability measure, a $1,000 per household grocery rebate.
“It is true that this is not a budget that has splashy new announcements. It’s not that,” Finance Minister Brenda Bailey said Tuesday.
“This is about us really focusing our spending and protecting core services for British Columbians and protecting things that people really care about: health care, education, safety in our streets.”
That leaves a new ICBC rebate as the most eye-catching affordability measure in the government’s fiscal plan.
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The $110 rebate is forecast to cost the province $410 million. The province is also freezing ICBC rates at least through 2026.
The other key measure this year is an increase to subsidies for low-income renters of $75 million in 2025, climbing to $150 million in the following years.
That includes raising the income threshold for the family-focused Rental Assistance Program from $40,000 to $60,000 and boosting the supplement from $400 to $700 per month.
The Shelter Aid for Elderly Renters (SAFER) is also raising its income threshold from $37,240 to $40,000, with the average supplement climbing from $261 to $337 per month.
Another $172 million over three years has been earmarked to provide services to an estimated 2,700 additional children with autism.
The budget also provides a boost of $1.6 billion over three years to income and disability assistance, though the increased funding is due largely to population growth and does not represent a hike in payments to individuals.
