Equalization and the provincial government’s legal challenge to gain a fairer slice of the pie was among the many topics of discussion as Premier Andrew Furey met with his BC counterpart in Vancouver yesterday.
NDP Premier David Eby gave Furey a tour of an affordable housing project in the Downtown Eastside and they took a ride in a hydrogen-powered car.
But equalization was also on the agenda and Premier Eby says they’re not looking for anything more, they just want their fair share.
“One of the things that shocked me,” Eby told reporters, “was that British Columbia is sending money to the federal government so they can send it to Ontario. Ontario got half a billion dollars in equalization funding. So not only does Ontario equalization funding from BC, it gets $26 billion in battery plant funding between them and Quebec and Quebec gets $750 million for migrants, we can’t get dikes in the Sumas Valley.”
Premier Furey meanwhile says it’s not sour grapes, it’s about fairness.
“We’re not being appropriately compensated,” says Furey who pointed to the supports provided to refugees as an example. “PEI gets about $90,000 per refugee that lands in that province,” says Furey who was quick to add that he has nothing against that province. “We get $9,000, so there’s a big discrepancy there.”