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, presented to this committee on Tuesday, October 13, at the Sheraton Guildford Hotel in Surrey. We didn’t ask government to spend more money. Click HERE for our recommendations.

• After 9 days, the grand total: $15,263,596,000   
• NEW! On Day 9, they received $4,467,300,000 in requests.
• On Day 8, they received $273,291,000 in requests.
• In the second half of their meetings on Day 7, they received $245,080,000 in requests.
• In the first half of their meetings on Day 7, they received $133,100,000 in requests.
• On Day 6, they received $205,400,000 in requests.
• On Day 5, they received $70,200,000 in requests.
• On Day 4, they received $6,288,000,000 in requests.
• In the second half of their meetings on Day 3, they received $719,425,000 in requests.
• 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 9 breakdown:

Day 9 - Tuesday, October 13, Surrey

• The BC Government and Service Employees Union wants a whack more spending. They want a “substantial increase” to the Ministry of Social Development (a 10% increase there would cost taxpayers $259 million). They want $18 million more for income assistance – plus a jump in rates retroactive to 2007 (guestimated at $50 million). They want more in shelter allowance (ballparked at $10 million). They want more money for forest firefighting ($127 million). They want another $21.5 million for the Ministry of Children and Families, and a whole new team in that ministry dedicated to aboriginal services (budget $30 million). They also want to increase the carbon tax from $30/tonne to $50/tonne – bringing the carbon tax to 11 cents/L on gas, and cutting the tax’s revenue neutrality (and they gloat about this generating another $2.2 billion in taxes!). They want 30% more natural resource ministry staffing – a 10% budget increase there would come to $61 million. They want more health care funding – 3% more to health authorities would cost $405 million. Total cost: $981,500,000 PLUS massive tax hikes. OUCH.
• The Surrey Board of Trade wants more money for local universities (let’s ballpark at $50 million), a study on Surrey health care needs ($2 million), Surrey light rail (provincial share $700 million), more funding for not-for profits (ballpark $25 million), and more funding for arts (already included in other presentations). Total: $777 million.
• The Alzheimer Society of BC wants funding of $10 million.
• Great Canadian Casinos wants a higher commission paid to casino operators. A 10% change in gaming revenues would cost $88.1 million.
• The SFU Graduate Student Society wants more transit to SFU (ballpark $30 million) and more money for maintenance and a grad student scholarship program (already costed).
• The SFU Student Society wants more money for the BC open textbook program (ballpark $5 million), and more money for various university projects (already costed).
• Kwantlen Polytechnic University, along with its Students Assocation, wants more funding (already costed).
• The BC Colleges Council of Presidents wants $47.4 million for various programs.
• The BC Real Estate Association wants the property transfer tax changed.
• SFU wants to double it student spaces. Doubling the provincial grant to SFU would cost $211 million.
• The Surrey School District wants $4.5 million in restored funding and more money for school construction (ballpark $100 million). Total: $104.5 million.
• The Pembina Institute wants more provincial money for sustainable development, more transit and electric vehicle spending, more government employees and new buildings, and a massive carbon tax hike. No pricetags, but noting we’ve already included Surrey transit funding, let’s ballpark this at the mayors’ transit plan ($1.8 billion from the province – not including Surrey) and $250 million for the rest of it. Total: $2,050,000,000.
• The BC Association of Farmers Markets wants more grants for small markets. Ball park $500,000.
• LandlordBC wants some startup funding for a registry they’re launching. $300,000.
• The BC Public Interest Advocacy Centre wants more funding, as outlined in the BCGEU requests.
• The Canadian Bar Association wants student loans forgiven for lawyers who move to rural areas (ballpark $2 million).
• The Ending Violence Association of BC wants more funding for domestic violence issues. Ballpark $10 million.
• Clean Energy BC wants $150 million for various strategies and programs.
• The Canadian Cancer Society wants a big tobacco tax hike.