daftandbarmy
Army.ca Fossil
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Oh, you had to bring BC into this. We are the best at foot voting!
British Columbians are voting with their feet and leaving B.C.
Thousands of people are leaving British Columbia and it's no wonder why---high living costs (namely, unaffordable housing) and record-high health-care wait times. The B.C. government's fiscal position has also significantly deteriorated with record-setting deficits, massive government debt and no tax relief in sight.
In 2023/24 (the latest year of available data), for the first time in more than a decade, more Canadians left B.C. (9,199 including 3,958 working-age Canadians (aged 18-64)) than moved to it. In other words, due to inter-provincial migration, B.C. is losing workers who provide revenue to the government (in personal income and other taxes) and cost less (e.g. in health care) than their older counterparts.
Unfortunately, it seems trends are continuing. In the Eby government's 2025 budget, the finance minister warned that the province has continued to experience an outflow of Canadians with thousands leaving B.C., particularly for Alberta.
So, why are British Columbians leaving the province?
For starters, B.C. is on track to become one of the most highly indebted provinces in Canada. The Eby government will run the province's largest deficit on record at a projected $10.9 billion (inflation-adjusted) in 2025/26, and after factoring in borrowing for long-term infrastructure projects, total provincial debt will more than triple since 2017 when the NDP government took office, reaching $208.8 billion in 2027/28---that's $36,413 per British Columbian.
British Columbians are voting with their feet and leaving B.C.
The Eby government will run a projected $10.9 billion deficit in 2025/26.