December 28, 2021

Victoria — The Province is working to bring down costs for people in 2022.

In the coming year, families will benefit from:

• expanded $10-a-day child care and reducing average fees by as much 50% by the end of 2022 for children under six
• free public transit for kids under 12 that will save them as much as $672 in 2022
• the biggest rate reduction in ICBC’s history, which reduced car insurance rates by 20% on average in 2021
• increased minimum wage, which gives the lowest-paid workers in B.C. a raise to more than $15.20

“People are worried about the cost of everyday life, and the pandemic has only made it more difficult for those already struggling to get by,” said Premier John Horgan. “This year, our government will continue working to bring down costs for people and their families so we can build a stronger B.C. for everyone.”

These initiatives build on the Province’s work to make life more affordable for people over the last four years, including:

• elimination of MSP premiums and bridge tolls
• capping rent increases to inflation
• saving tens of thousands of families up to $19,000 a year on child care
• eliminating interest on student loans
• increasing income assistance by more than 50%

“We don’t want to go back to the old ways of unfair MSP premiums or skyrocketing ICBC rates that made life more unaffordable for people,” Premier Horgan said. “There’s still much more work to do, but we’ve taken concrete action to lower costs for families. We’ll keep working to put money back into the pockets of British Columbians.”