Business Council of
British Columbia
Provincial policy agenda · 2026–27

A game plan for a stronger B.C.

Policy
Playbook.

For Economic Prosperity
in British Columbia

Stronger investment. Higher incomes. Sustainable public services. The next move is ours.

Read the Playbook Explore the plays

BCBC’s provincial policy priorities for 2026–27 · PDF

The route to prosperity
Three goals. One stronger British Columbia.

We can’t control every challenge. We can choose our next play.

3 goals   /   25 recommendations

The challenge

Why B.C. needs a new game plan.

Slow growth. Fewer opportunities. Rising costs. B.C.’s economic challenges are putting pressure on households, businesses and the services we all rely on. Trade uncertainty adds to the urgency of addressing the barriers to growth within our control.

Growth is falling short.

0.9%

Projected economic growth in 2026

Growth is projected to average around 2% annually over 2027–2030, below B.C.’s long-term average of 2.5%. A weak economy limits income growth and improvements in living standards.

Private hiring has lost momentum.

3%

Private sector employment growth
January 2019–August 2026

Over the same period, public sector employment grew by 46%. Weak private hiring means fewer career opportunities and slower growth in the tax base that supports public services.

Affordability is under strain.

79%

Increase in monthly food bank visits
2019–2025

More British Columbians are struggling to make ends meet. A stronger economy is needed to support higher incomes and ease pressure on household budgets.

Debt is crowding out services.

$8.7B

Projected annual debt-servicing costs
By 2028/29

That is around $1,500 per British Columbian. Every dollar spent on interest leaves less room for health care, education and other public services.

Figures and forecasts cited in the 2026–27 Policy Playbook. See “Why action is needed” in the report ↗

The way forward

Turn investment into
greater prosperity.

Stronger business investment connects these challenges to the solutions. Better equipment, technology and skills raise productivity, giving businesses room to pay higher wages and expanding the tax base for public services. The Playbook’s three goals set out practical changes to help that investment happen.

Explore the game plan

The game plan

Three goals. One stronger economy.

B.C. has the resources, talent and access to markets to succeed. This Playbook sets out practical policy changes to turn those advantages into greater prosperity.

Avoid tax hikes. Protect core services.

Stronger economic growth and greater discipline in how public money is spent can rebuild confidence and protect the services British Columbians rely on.

Recommendations at a glance

The plays that move B.C. forward.

Explore the 25 recommendations below. Read the full Playbook for the analysis and context behind each one.

01Restore fiscal sustainability
  1. 1.1Set a fiscal anchor with a timetable to return to balance (e.g. cut the deficit in half in four years)
  2. 1.2Review every provincial program for value
  3. 1.3Direct unspent contingencies to reduce deficits and borrowing
  4. 1.4Get better care from every health dollar through a patient-centred vision and more efficient delivery
02Retain and attract talent and capital
  1. 2.1Exempt productive capital from PST and cancel the professional services expansion
  2. 2.2Restore income tax indexation and lower the top rate so workers keep at least half of each extra dollar earned
  3. 2.3Recalibrate industrial carbon pricing to improve export competitiveness
  4. 2.4Take action to unlock fibre access to the 45-million-cubic-metre harvest target (from 29 million)
  5. 2.5Identify priority industrial sites and their zoning and infrastructure requirements with municipalities and industry
  6. 2.6Remove the 50/50 processing rule on eligible Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) sites and expand land available for food processing
  7. 2.7Cut the time needed to start industry-sponsored clinical trials in B.C. to under eight weeks by 2029
  8. 2.8Allow industrial gas-fired generation where electricity constraints block projects
  9. 2.9Work with municipalities to reduce housing fees, taxes and levies
03Create a more predictable investment climate
  1. 3.1Establish a vision and guiding principles to advance prosperity-aligned reconciliation
  2. 3.2Create an Office of Regulatory Excellence reporting to the Premier’s Office
  3. 3.3Seek withdrawal of WorkSafeBC’s proposed psychological health and safety regulation
  4. 3.4Expand interprovincial trade through mutual recognition, a narrow negative list and freer labour mobility
  5. 3.5Increase practical financial and economic education in schools, including through an expanded Financial Literacy Day
  6. 3.6Restore secret-ballot certification and the pre-2024 definition of “strike”
  7. 3.7Pause low-carbon fuel increases pending a cost and supply review and make alternative jet-fuel participation voluntary within the program
  8. 3.8Repeal the EV sales mandate
  9. 3.9Let evidence and land-use planning determine the pace of new land protection
  10. 3.10Simplify Heritage Conservation Act permitting
  11. 3.11Keep natural gas available as a primary home-heating option
  12. 3.12Review Metro Vancouver’s governance and service delivery model

A stronger economy starts
with the right plays.

Practical policies to give businesses and workers the confidence to invest, grow and build a better British Columbia.

Read the full Playbook
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