Cloverdale Chamber ‘concerned’ over 2026 B.C. budget
Published 3:00 pm Friday, February 20, 2026
Speaking on behalf of the Cloverdale District Chamber of Commerce, Scott Wheatley is expressing mixed reviews about the new 2026 B.C. provincial budget.
Wheatley, executive director of the Cloverdale Chamber, said he sees some highlights in the budget and some lowlights.
“The Cloverdale Chamber sees good and bad in the budget,” he told the Cloverdale Reporter. “We will be happy to see spending cuts made that don’t impact citizen-facing programs and services.”
He said the Chamber is also glad to see more investment in infrastructure projects and more investments in training programs.
However, Wheatley noted it’s not the right time, nor the right economic climate, for tax increases.
“We are concerned with both the increases in personal income tax, which will no longer be indexed, and the addition of provincial sales tax to some services like accounting.”
He added the new taxes are disconcerting and could hurt seniors, working families, and small businesses.
“The PST change will have a huge impact,” Wheatley said. “This essentially increases a businesses cost by seven per cent and could decrease revenue for those companies now charging PST.”
He noted with the deficit expected to rise next year by $3.7 billion ($13.3 billion from $9.6 billion) before dropping to $12.1 billion and then $11.4 billion over the following years, he’s concerned about the long-term costs to taxpayers.
“Debt servicing will now be the third largest ticket item for the province,” he said. “Money that could be spent on healthcare, education, and infrastructure, will now, more than ever, go to servicing debt.”
Wheatley is also troubled by legislation introduced in the provincial budget that would abolish the independent Office of the Merit Commissioner. The responsibilities for the office would then be moved to the B.C. Public Service Agency.
“This is very concerning,” he said. “Ethics and oversight have been taking a hit around the world, recently. We need independent oversight. So, I think that would be an important position to maintain. Without it, I could see trust being eroded.”