Clark vows to balance B.C.’s books despite worsening financial numbers

VICTORIA – Premier Christy Clark says British Columbians should brace for bad economic news Wednesday but she still vows to balance the province’s budget next year.

Clark says Finance Minister Mike de Jong will deliver a second quarter economic update that outlines the province’s current economic status, and the numbers won’t be pretty.

But she told a luncheon gathering in Coquitlam her government will do whatever it takes, short of cutting health and education funding, to table a balanced budget in February.

British Columbians go to the polls in May and Clark says she will be pointing to a balanced budget as her commitment to voters to build a stronger province.

Two months ago, de Jong said dropping natural gas revenues blew a hole in the province’s budget plans, increasing the projected budget deficit to $1.1 billion.

The government announced hiring and spending freezes to stop the financial bleeding.