This is Vancouver What did B.C's new budget deliver for the Lower Mainland?
Feb 18, 2026
Alex Mitchell, CEO of the Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce, on business, agriculture and flood mitigation in the Fraser Valley. Brenda Locke, Mayor of Surrey, on public safety, policing and the region's extortion response. They discuss tax changes, impacts on small businesses, long-term care pauses and the need for federal-provincial coordination.
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Budget Reworks Tax Breaks And Expands PST
- The province raised interest on property tax deferral and expanded several taxes to trim benefits for higher-income homeowners and services providers.
- These measures shift costs onto owners and businesses while narrowing tax preferences that previously advantaged some homeowners.
Short-Term Spending, Few Long-Term Commitments
- The budget combines tax increases with targeted short-term health and public safety funding rather than large long-term care or systemic investments.
- That approach prioritizes immediate fiscal restraint over sustained capital projects like long-term care expansion.
Surrey Mayor Calls For Holistic Response
- Brenda Locke describes Surrey's on-the-ground policing gains and the need for coordinated federal-provincial action on immigration and criminal code issues.
- She stresses that dealing with extortion requires a holistic commissioner review and multi-level government cooperation.