As he spoke about his new budget on Tuesday, sa国际传媒 Finance Minister Mike de Jong sounded more like someone looking after the family finances than the person in charge of $46 billion in spending. The folksy minister even compared the operating debt 鈥� incurred as the government spent on services during the recession 鈥� to going into debt to buy groceries for the household.
That鈥檚 not a bad thing. When de Jong cuts through the big numbers to put the budget into perspective, he is putting it in reach of everyone in the province, all 4.6 million of us.
As another example: When the minister speaks of the strong retail sales in sa国际传媒, he also warns of the danger of consumer debt, just as a sage, conservative neighbour would do.
A fiscally prudent household spends money carefully, diversifies its sources of income and investments, and plans for the future. That is what de Jong is doing, on a much larger scale.
The steady-as-it-goes philosophy is working for the province, as we will likely have the only balanced budget in sa国际传媒 this year.
The tight-fisted approach means no goodies for Greater Victoria. The budget includes references to infrastructure projects such as the Camosun College trades building and new schools. But those are not new projects; they are close to completion.
And there is still no talk of money for a McKenzie interchange.
Health continues to be the elephant that controls much of the government鈥檚 spending. As de Jong noted, health spending has doubled since the sa国际传媒 Liberals took office, and premiums for the medical services plan are set to rise again to help cover the higher costs.
The minister maintains these premiums are still needed. Why, then, have all other provinces chosen to pay for health care from general tax revenue?
New spending initiatives are so small they would barely count as rounding errors. As an example, the government will give $5 million to repair and replace facilities belonging to the SPCA throughout the province.
The government needs to be careful to ensure that the service it provides does not suffer because of its stringency.
Many excluded management employees have not had wage increases for six years, and those who have had increases are still falling behind unionized employees or management employees in the private sector. That will make it more difficult to attract and retain staff members.
Tax changes in this budget are tiny. There are no new taxes on gasoline, cigarettes or alcohol, which are three of the traditional sources of new revenue.
The budget devotes two pages to the impact of the Supreme Court of sa国际传媒鈥檚 Tsilhqot鈥檌n decision, which recognized aboriginal title over 1,700 square kilometres in the Cariboo-Chilcotin region.
The decision presents an opportunity, the budget says, for a fresh approach to achieving reconciliation and enhancing relationships with First Nations. This recognition will help to ensure that indigenous peoples can be full partners in sa国际传媒鈥檚 success, which in turn will bring a healthier economy for all.
Our economy is more diversified than those of other provinces, so we are better equipped to handle a downturn in one or more sectors. There is more diversity in our export markets, so again, we are in better shape than the other provinces.
After several years of talk about the bonanza we could get because of liquefied natural gas, this year鈥檚 budget downplays the potential benefits. That鈥檚 good, because the advantages were always in the wishful-thinking category.
In the end, this careful, cautious budget will be remembered, if it is remembered at all, as one of the dullest of the decade. That is not necessarily a bad thing.
