Budget 2017
Engagement Summary
The Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services – an all-party committee of the Legislative Assembly – held province-wide consultations in September and October 2016 to seek the views of British Columbians. Results of those consultations are available online.
Starting in December, 2017, Minister of Finance Mike de Jong asked citizens to participate in the Budget 2017 citizen engagement process.
British Columbians were given the opportunity to share their ideas for the management of government finances. Citizens were asked for input to help shape the province’s economic direction and share their spending priorities within a balanced budget.
British Columbians were provided with three ways to participate in the engagement, which included:
- Three discussion forums on the Budget 2017 engagement website
- Four regional telephone town halls with Minister of Finance Mike de Jong
- Questions submitted by email
Participants on the Budget 2017 engagement website were asked to comment on housing affordability, government priorities and economic development. Questions asked of participants in the telephone town halls centred on housing, health care spending and economic development.
Timeframe:
December 16, 2016 to February 8, 2017
Input Received:
Participation results by the numbers:
- 5,060 visitors to the Budget 2017 engagement website
- 1,322 comments received in the online discussion forum
- 121 emails received by the minister and at citizenengagement@gov.bc.ca
- 56 questions were sent to the minister using the ‘Ask the Minister’ button on the engagement website sidebar
- 59 people signed up to receive updates on Balanced Budget 2017
- 41,195 citizens participated in a series of telephone town halls:
o 11,373 on Monday, January 9, 2017 (Northern B.C.)
o 10,313 on January 16, 2017 (Okanagan)
o 9,626 on January 30, 2017 (Kootenay & Vancouver Island/Coast regions)
o 9,883 on February 7, 2017 (Fraser Valley)
Input leads to action:
All feedback was considered and the budget was released on February 21, 2017.
Read the Engagement Summary Report