B.C.’s auditor general urges public updates, targets on long-term budget plans

VICTORIA – British Columbia’s auditor general says the government needs to look deeper into the future before creating budget plans for proposed programs.

Carol Bellringer says in a report released Wednesday that risks to the province’s fiscal stability go beyond the three-year budget plans the government produces every year when it introduces a new budget.

She says the three-year planning cycle does not demonstrate how current initiatives and decisions lead to sustainable policies and programs over the long term.

Bellringer says achieving balanced budgets alone does not provide that assurance.

She recommends annual public reports on B.C.’s long-term fiscal sustainability, including details on targets and results.

Bellringer also released a second report, saying she endorses the government’s use of revenue assumptions to make budget forecasts.