Prince George-North Cariboo Conservative MLA Sheldon Clare says the NDP’s elimination of the $200 northern and rural home owner benefit is part of a broader problem when it comes to affordability issues in the north.
“We generally have higher transportation costs because of the geography of the areas we live in, the roads are in bad condition and we have to drive longer distances. Energy is more expensive because we have a cooler winter and spring, and quite frankly the government services that are supposed to be available to all are less available to many of our residents so we do have a lot of affordability issues that this small, but welcome benefit, did provide.”
Clare says he would actually prefer to lower taxes in general, as well as better encourage putting shovels in the ground and getting industry and resource extraction back to work.
Failing that, he says eliminating this benefit doesn’t seem to help
Clare says it’s also not in line with what the NDP has promised to do when it comes to the north and rural BC.
“There was a lot of talk made by the NDP in the last election how they were going to listen to people in northern and rural BC and take out issues to heart and give us a little bit better service, and eliminating this particular benefit does not seem to be aligned with that stated goal.”
The provincial government is eliminating the benefit in 2027 saying it is because of the elimination of the residential carbon tax.
– Files from George Henderson, My Cariboo Now staff
