Skip to Main content

2.99°^C Vancouver

News Entertainment Videos Shows Podcast Contact Us

Sep 12, 2022 7:13 PM - The Canadian Press

B.C. says financial outlook improving, forecasts $706 million surplus, says minister

Share On

b-c-says-financial-outlook-improving-forecasts-706-million-surplus-says-minister

British Columbia's financial outlook is showing improvements, with a budget surplus of $706 million forecast for the current fiscal year. (Photo - BC Govt.)

British Columbia's financial outlook is showing improvements, with a budget surplus of $706 million forecast for the current fiscal year.

Finance Minister Selina Robinson says preliminary financial numbers for the first three months of 2022-23 show the province is in a strong position despite ongoing global economic risks.

The quarterly report Robinson posted today also indicates financial improvements over the next three years, but includes forecasts of budget deficits for two of the three years.

The government recently announced the province's final audited budget for 2021-2022 produced a surplus of $1.3 billion following earlier forecasts of a deficit nearing $10 billion.

Robinson said the earlier deficit forecast of $9.7 billion was made during the darkest days of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic where the province and other governments were preparing for the worst but hoping for the best.

Last week, the B.C. government announced a $600 million relief plan to help families most in need as costs for goods and services rise.

Latest news

odd-complaints-about-haircuts-hornets-and-luggage-top-b-c-s-unusual-911-calls-of-2025

Odd complaints about haircuts, hornets and luggage top B.C.’s unusual 911 calls of 2025

British Columbia’s main emergency call centre says complaints about luggage size, a bad haircut and even a household hornet were among the most unusual 911 calls received this year, highlighting ongoing misuse of the emergency line. E-Comm, which answers about 99 per cent of 911 calls across the province, says it handles roughly two million calls annually. While most callers use the service appropriately, officials say a small number continue to call for situations that do not require police, firefighters or paramedics. Among the calls flagged in E-Comm’s year-end list were reports about a

dozens-of-luxury-motorcycles-tied-to-canadian-fugitive-ryan-wedding-seized-in-mexico-fbi-says

CanadaDec 30, 2025

Dozens of luxury motorcycles tied to Canadian fugitive Ryan Wedding seized in Mexico, FBI says

U.S. authorities say they have recovered dozens of high-end motorcycles linked to Ryan Wedding, the former Canadian Olympic snowboarder now accused of leading an international drug trafficking operation. The Federal Bureau of Investigation estimates the motorcycles, seized during raids in Mexico City and the surrounding State of Mexico, are worth approximately US$40 million. The raids, conducted last week, targeted four properties connected to a suspect whose description matches Wedding’s, according to Mexico’s Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection. In addition to the motorcycles,

rcmp-union-challenges-alberta-panel-report-advocating-mountie-replacement

AlbertaDec 30, 2025

RCMP union challenges Alberta panel report advocating Mountie replacement

The head of the national RCMP union is criticizing a provincial panel report that recommends Alberta continue efforts to replace the Mounties with a provincial police force. Brian Sauve, president of the National Police Federation, described the Alberta Next panel’s report as “misleading,” saying it relies on outdated references and misinterpreted federal policies to support its conclusions. He added the panel appears to be reviving a proposal that Albertans have already rejected in past consultations. The Alberta Next Panel, established and chaired by Premier Danielle Smith, was tasked

smith-says-alberta-health-overhaul-groundwork-finished-results-to-be-tested-in-2026

AlbertaDec 30, 2025

Smith says Alberta health overhaul groundwork finished, results to be tested in 2026

Premier Danielle Smith says 2025 marked a turning point for Alberta’s sweeping health-care overhaul, with the legal framework for the province’s new system now firmly in place. She says the coming year will be focused on showing Albertans whether the changes deliver measurable improvements. Smith said her government believes the restructuring will lead to better patient outcomes after years of strain on the health system. Alberta is in the process of replacing Alberta Health Services as a single province-wide provider with four separate organizations responsible for acute care, primary car

b-c-report-warns-magnitude-9-0-earthquake-could-kill-thousands-cause-128b-in-damage

B.C. report warns magnitude 9.0 earthquake could kill thousands, cause $128B in damage

A massive earthquake off the coast of Vancouver Island could result in thousands of deaths and widespread destruction across British Columbia, according to a new provincial risk assessment. The B.C. government report estimates that a magnitude 9.0 megathrust earthquake could cause more than 3,400 fatalities and leave over 10,000 people injured. Economic losses are projected at $128 billion, with roughly 18,000 buildings destroyed and extensive damage to another 10,000. The findings are part of the province’s disaster and climate risk assessment, which identifies a large offshore earthquake a

Related News

Odd complaints about haircuts, hornets and luggage top B.C.’s unusual 911 calls of 2025

Odd complaints about haircuts, hornets and luggage top B.C.’s unusual 911 calls of 2025

British Columbia’s main emergency call centre says complaints about luggage size, a bad haircut and even a household hornet were among the most unusual 911 calls received this year, highlighting ongoing misuse of the emergency line. E-Comm, which answers about 99 per cent of 911 calls across the province, says it handles roughly two million calls annually. While most callers use the service appropriately, officials say a small number continue to call for situations that do not require police, firefighters or paramedics. Among the calls flagged in E-Comm’s year-end list were reports about a

B.C. report warns magnitude 9.0 earthquake could kill thousands, cause $128B in damage

B.C. report warns magnitude 9.0 earthquake could kill thousands, cause $128B in damage

A massive earthquake off the coast of Vancouver Island could result in thousands of deaths and widespread destruction across British Columbia, according to a new provincial risk assessment. The B.C. government report estimates that a magnitude 9.0 megathrust earthquake could cause more than 3,400 fatalities and leave over 10,000 people injured. Economic losses are projected at $128 billion, with roughly 18,000 buildings destroyed and extensive damage to another 10,000. The findings are part of the province’s disaster and climate risk assessment, which identifies a large offshore earthquake a

B.C. wildfire season burns near decade average, far below 2023 record

B.C. wildfire season burns near decade average, far below 2023 record

British Columbia’s 2025 wildfire season burned nearly 8,900 square kilometres of land, a level close to the provincial 10-year average and significantly lower than the record-setting season seen two years earlier, according to the Ministry of Forests. In a year-end summary, the ministry said more than 1,350 wildfires scorched about 8,864 square kilometres across the province since April 1. That total is slightly above the 10-year average of roughly 8,500 square kilometres but below the 10,811 square kilometres burned in 2024. The impact was far less severe than in 2023, when a record 2,293 w

Legals

Journalism code of ethics

© 2021 AKASH Broadcasting Inc.

MANAGED BY STRATWIT

useful links

Accessibility Plan

BC Children's Hospital