VICTORIA — British Columbia’s Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services has tabled its report on the province’s Budget 2027 consultation, making 81 recommendations covering fiscal policy, taxation, health care, housing, education, infrastructure, climate, transportation, community services and economic growth.
The 122-page report, presented on August 11, 2026, follows a province-wide consultation conducted from June 1 to 19, 2026.
During the consultation, the committee heard 387 presentations and received 1,102 written submissions, representing input from 1,489 participants. It also held 16 hybrid public hearings in communities including Victoria, Vancouver, Burnaby, Kelowna, Kamloops, Prince George and Smithers.
The annual consultation gives British Columbians an opportunity to present their priorities directly to the committee as recommendations are developed for the next provincial budget.
Committee Members
The committee was chaired by Paul Choi, MLA for Burnaby South-Metrotown, with Donegal Wilson, MLA for Boundary-Similkameen, serving as deputy chair.
The other committee members were Rohini Arora, MLA for Burnaby East; Debra Toporowski (Qwulti’stunaat), MLA for Cowichan Valley; and Bryan Tepper, MLA for Surrey-Panorama.
Four Priorities Shape the Report
The committee organized its work around four overarching priorities:
- Planning for the future through strategic and upstream investments
- Enabling sustainable economic growth
- Supporting communities and sector capacity through stable, multi-year funding
- Maintaining the core public services British Columbians rely on
The report recognizes the challenging fiscal environment facing the province and the need to balance increasing demands for public services with disciplined financial management.
Fiscal Policy and Taxation
Several recommendations focus on the province’s fiscal position, government spending and taxation.
The committee recommends establishing a stronger fiscal plan that includes targeted spending reviews, clear deficit-reduction targets, a declining debt-to-GDP ratio and transparent reporting. It also recommends continuing to reduce the size of the provincial public service while protecting front-line service delivery.
The committee calls for a more user-friendly public access point for government data and expanded proactive disclosure, along with a formal regulatory reduction and competitiveness strategy.
On taxation, the committee recommends repealing the planned Provincial Sales Tax expansion to professional services, raising the threshold for the luxury vehicle tax to better reflect average vehicle prices, and revising the PST treatment of vehicle rentals by closing exemptions and applying a flat 7 per cent tax based on rental cost rather than vehicle value.
Health Care Recommendations
Health care is one of the major areas addressed in the report.
The committee recommends accelerating long-term care construction and modernizing the funding model. It also calls for expanded home support for seniors, including consideration of a tax credit option, stronger cancer-care targets, expanded vaccine access, and reducing administrative layers by combining health regions.
Child Care, Youth and Homelessness
The report contains recommendations related to children and youth.
The committee calls for long-term, stable operational and capital funding for licensed child care, both on and off school grounds. It recommends a policy requiring coordinated responses to child and youth abuse, and proposes expanding the Upstream Kelowna pilot into a full school-district proof of concept aimed at preventing youth homelessness.
Housing and Construction
Housing affordability and supply are another significant focus.
The committee recommends expanding low-cost construction financing to support attainable housing, a temporary freeze of the BC Energy Step Code at Level 3, and increased provincial funding for local infrastructure needed to enable housing development.
The report also calls for reinstatement of both the Community Housing Fund and Indigenous Housing Fund, with priority given to applicants whose projects were cancelled in 2025.
Infrastructure, Economy and Education
The committee recommends developing a 10-year infrastructure plan, implementing a “Buy BC” procurement policy, and measures to improve small-business tax competitiveness. Technology recommendations include support for quantum computing and technology incentives.
For K-12 education, the committee proposes capital and funding-model updates, including one education assistant or support worker per primary classroom. For post-secondary education, it calls for stronger alignment between programs and workforce needs.
The committee also recommends multi-year funding for non-profit organizations to give greater stability when planning services and programs.
Transit, Environment and Community Supports
Transportation recommendations include funding for critical bridge projects and expanded rural transit connections. The report also recommends additional funding to address invasive species and a provincial arts and culture action plan.
The committee recommends restoring the Community Gaming Grant baseline to $140 million, indexed to inflation.
What Happens Next
The 81 recommendations are not the provincial budget itself. They are recommendations from the Legislative Assembly’s Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services for consideration as the government develops Budget 2027.
The committee anticipates that government will continue working with sectors and communities on how the recommendations could be implemented.
The full report includes all 81 recommendations, as well as the organizations and individuals who participated in the consultation.
Quick Facts
- Report: Second Report, Second Session, 43rd Parliament
- Date presented: August 11, 2026
- Consultation period: June 1–19, 2026
- Presentations: 387
- Written submissions: 1,102
- Total participants: 1,489
- Public hearings: 16 hybrid hearings
- Recommendations: 81
- Chair: Paul Choi, MLA for Burnaby South-Metrotown
- Deputy Chair: Donegal Wilson, MLA for Boundary-Similkameen
- Committee members: Rohini Arora, Debra Toporowski (Qwulti’stunaat), Bryan Tepper
Key Budget 2027 Recommendations
- Repeal the planned PST expansion to professional services
- Establish stronger fiscal planning and deficit-reduction targets
- Raise the luxury vehicle tax threshold
- Revise PST treatment of vehicle rentals
- Accelerate long-term care construction
- Expand home support for seniors
- Provide stable long-term funding for licensed child care
- Expand the Upstream Kelowna youth-homelessness prevention model
- Expand low-cost financing for attainable housing
- Temporarily freeze the BC Energy Step Code at Level 3
- Reinstate the Community Housing Fund and Indigenous Housing Fund
- Develop a 10-year infrastructure plan
- Establish a “Buy BC” procurement policy
- Provide multi-year funding for non-profit organizations
- Restore the Community Gaming Grant baseline to $140 million, indexed
StudioX News will continue to follow the Budget 2027 process and report on how the committee’s recommendations are considered by the provincial government.
Harnaik Singh Rathor is the Founder, Publisher, and Editor-in-Chief of StudioX News Canada, Canada's multilingual digital news network serving diaspora communities across 44 languages. With a background in media production, public relations, and multicultural communications, he founded StudioX Film and TV Corporation to bridge the gap between mainstream Canadian media and the country's diverse immigrant communities. He is a member of the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ), RTDNA Canada, CPRS Vancouver, NEPMCC, and the Canadian Freelance Union (Unifor). Based in Surrey, British Columbia. | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harnaiksinghrathor/ | Muck Rack: https://muckrack.com/harnaiksinghrathor | Email: editor@studioxnews.ca
