Fitch has confirmed British Columbia’s AAA credit rating with a stable outlook, due to the Province’s steady economic growth, commitment to fiscal balance and manageable debt burden, Finance Minister Michael de Jong announced today.  

Small and medium-sized B.C. businesses looking to expand their export capacity and access new markets will soon benefit from a new partnership between the Province and the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade.

In honour of the Canadians and British Columbians involved in the victory at Vimy Ridge in 1917, Finance Minister Michael de Jong announced that the Province will contribute $350,000 to the Vimy Foundation to support the creation of a Centennial Park at the site of the battle.

Workers coming to B.C. through the B.C. Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) can now be exempt from the additional property transfer tax on foreign buyers, helping ensure B.C. continues to attract highly skilled workers and entrepreneurs across all sectors of the province’s diverse economy, including the growing tech sector.

British Columbia will become the first Canadian province to legislate a duty to document.

Proposed amendments introduced as Bill 9, the Finance Statutes Amendment Act, 2017, will clarify rules and improve fairness to align with government’s ongoing commitment to reduce red tape and simplify and streamline regulatory requirements.

British Columbia’s fifth consecutive balanced budget delivers the dividends of a strong and diversified economy and prudent fiscal management by cutting costs for middle-class B.C. families, investing in priority programs and services, and promoting a competitive, job-creating economy.

Finance Minister Michael de Jong will present British Columbia's fifth consecutive Balanced Budget on Tuesday, February 21, 2017. 

Canuck Place Children’s Hospice will begin receiving annual funding to provide pediatric, palliative medical care, and support to children and families in British Columbia.