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 2017-18 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 4:45 p.m., Thursday, October 6, at the Coast Tsawwassen Inn in Delta. Rest assured we WON’T be asking government to spend more money.

• After 1 day, the grand total: $3,237,150,000 ($3.2+ Billion)  
• NEW! On Day 2, they received $713,250,000 in requests.
• On Day 1, they received $2,523,900,000 in requests.

Here’s the Day 2 breakdown:

Day 1 - Tuesday, September 20, Cranbrook and Kamloops

• The PacificSport Columbia Basin Society wants a $500,000 “physical literacy” fund. Cost: $500,000.
• The College of the Rockies Faculty Association wants the reinstatement of tuition-free adult basic education programs; improved funding support for students, including a revised student grant program and interest-free student loans; a funding formula that better responds to the cost pressures faced by B.C.'s post-secondary institutions. Ballpark cost: $100 million.
• The College of the Rockies wants more college funding, money for its aboriginal service plan and money for student housing. Ballpark cost: $50 million.
• The East Kootenay Wildlife Association wants more funding for the wildlife branch ($12.5 million) and more from natural resource industry. Ballpark: $25 million.
• The Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy wants literacy funding this year of $2.5 million. Cost: $2.5 million.
• The Meadowbrook Community Association wants better maintenance of some provincial roads in the area. Ballpark: $250,000.
• The East Kootenay Invasive Species Council wants more funding for weed control across BC. Ballpark: $3 million.
• School district No. 5, southeast Kootenay, wants Mount Baker Secondary School replaced, funding for raises for senior admin staff, funding for all costs related to the new K-12 curriculum, and full funding for ESL learners. Ballpark: $150 million.
• The Thompson Rivers University Students Union wants $50 million for TRU, plus “needs-based funding.” Ballpark: $100 million.
• The Thompson Rivers University and the Thompson Rivers University Faculty Association want a new funding model for post secondary education. Ballpark it at $200 million.
• The Legal Service Society wants $15 million more in annual funding for legal aid. Cost: $15 million.
• The Kamloops Brain Injury Association wants funding for brain injuries at par with funding for HIV groups. Cost: $66 million.
• The Brain Injury Alliance wants an extra million dollars for a brain injury fund. $1 million.