BC Budget 2023 Report

The Select Standing Committee on Finance has made their recommendations for the 2023 BC Budget. The BCHC is cited several time in their health care recommendations. You can view the full report here.

The report cites the BCHC in recommending increased wages for health care workers and better working conditions in home support and long-term care. The retention of health care staff is a crisis exacerbated by COVID-19 and better working conditions is the only way to retain and recruit more staff. 

We are also cited by the Standing Committee in their call for more funding to be put towards home support so seniors can age at home. Through our own work, we know that many older adults want to live independently at home for as long as possible but are limited by the current funding structure. Subsidizing a long-term-care bed costs the taxpayer about $57,500 per year. If two hours of daily home support were provided instead, it would save an average of $29,860 per individual per year. 

We will be looking forward to seeing how these recommendations are put into action in the 2023 provincial budget.