Transit, housing top B.C.'s wish list for today's federal budget
B.C.'s provincial government hopes its strong relationship with the federal government pays off when the 2017 federal budget is revealed this afternoon at 1 p.m. PT.
TransLink Minister Peter Fassbender says B.C.'s economy has been good for Canada and should be rewarded.
"I don't think there will be huge surprises but because we have such a strong working relationship the federal government knows the priorities to meet our needs and needs of people of B.C.," he said.
Fassbender says those priorities include housing affordability, health care and transit infrastructure.
Civic leaders are also hoping the federal government will fund a significant portion of the second phase of Metro Vancouver's $2 billion 10-year regional transit improvement plan.
TransLink CEO Kevin Desmond said he hopes a federal contribution will spur the provincial government to commit to their own monetary contribution to the mass transit overhaul.
The second phase includes the Pattullo Bridge replacement, the Broadway SkyTrain extension and the Surrey Light Rail Transit project.
Housing another priority
Federal Housing Minister Jean-Yves Duclos has already alluded this federal budget would be "good for housing."
Delta Mayor Lois Jackson said a national strategy for housing is long overdue.
"The housing issue is hugely important. It seems to be a crime that we cannot house the people of Canada properly," she said.
Richard Walton, the mayor of the District of North Vancouver, said issues of transit are intimately tied to issues of housing.
"One of the biggest difficulties we're dealing with in quality of life in the region are rising housing prices and limited supply," he said. "The geography of our region makes it difficult to get around."
CBC coverage of budget 2017
CBC budget coverage begins at 11 a.m. PT with a special pre-budget Power & Politics on CBC News Network and with our live blog at cbcnews.ca.
Coverage continues at 1 p.m. with CBC News' budget special with Peter Mansbridge on CBC Television, cbcnews.ca and Facebook, and on CBC Radio with Susan Bonner and Chris Hall.
Watch post-budget analysis on Power & Politics with Rosemary Barton at 2 p.m. on CBC News Network and cbcnews.ca, On the Money on CBC News Network at 4 p.m. and The National at 10 p.m. on CBC-TV.
