The BC Government’s Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services has set out on their annual pre-budget consultation tour of B.C., hearing from stakeholder groups about what they want to see in the 2016-17 BC Budget. Spoiler alert: most groups want to see a lot more of your money spent.

Many of these causes and ideas are wonderful, but governing is about priorities. Fiscal restraint is absolutely vital. Over the next few weeks, we will post a running tab of the amount of requests this committee receives. Some cost estimates will come from the groups themselves; others will be guestimates.

Your CTF, by the way, is scheduled to present to this committee at 11:50 a.m., Tuesday, October 13, at the Sheraton Guildford Hotel in Surrey. Rest assured we WON’T be asking government to spend more money.

After 2.5 days, the grand total: $2,861,800,000

• NEW! In the first half of their meetings on Day 3, they received $384,500,000 in requests
• In the second half of their meetings on Day 2, they received $937,500,000 in requests.
• In the first half of their meetings on Day 2, they received $1,234,800,000 in requests.
• On Day 1, the committee had already received $305,000,000 in funding requests.

Here’s the Day 3A breakdown: 

Day 3A - Thursday, Sept. 17, Kamloops

• Thompson Rivers University Student Union wants lower tuition fees. A previous submission wanted fees eliminated altogether, so this has already been counted.
• The Thompson Rivers University Faculty Association wants a bigger operating grant, adult basic education (ABE) and ESL funding restored. The ABE and operating grant has been counted previously but for the first time, a dollar figure was put on ESL - $22 million.
• The Kamloops Chamber of Commerce wants 50% of surplus to go directly to paying down debt. Works for us! They also want a value-added tax (don’t say HST!).
• Venture Kamloops wants an incentive for business owners to prepare their businesses for sale rather than closing or dissolving them upon retirement, and to help a new owner with the transition. No dollar figures were provided, but given 400+ businesses just in Kamloops were said to be eligible for such a thing, let’s put this at $50 million.
• Thompson Rivers University wants funding for a new tech building. Price tag: $21 million.
• The Allied Golf Association wants an adult fitness tax credit, more partnerships with the Ministry of Environment when it comes to water, and more tourism support. A new child fitness equipment tax credit cost taxpayers $3 million last year. So let’s put an adult version at $10 million.
• The Canadian Mental Health Association, Kamloops Branch, wants government to match investments dollar for dollar in the area of community-based mental health and substance use services with investments in the area of acute and tertiary health care. Health spending went up more than half a billion dollars last year. Let’s put this ask at half that: $250 million.
• Literacy in Kamloops wants literacy programs funded by another $2.5 million.
• The Invasive Species Council of BC wants dedicated funding. No price tag. Let’s put it at $2 million.
• The BC Bioenergy Network wants $25 million for recapitalization and renewal of their mandate.
• Enterprise Rent-A-Car wants ICBC reformed to change some liability and other rules around rental car insurance. I have no idea what to cost this at, so I’ll take them at their word this will save ICBC ratepayers money.
• A Vancouver Community College department head wants adult basic education funding restored. Previously counted.
• The BC Fruit Growers Association wants more resources for students and the poor to get ahold of fruit and vegetables. Let’s put that at $1 million.
• Geoscience BC wants more done on seismicity, airborne mapping, groundwater and safe disposal zones. No price tags were put on that. Let’s ballpark $1 million for those initiatives.