Here's how many B.C. government workers got pandemic pay raises, and how much it cost taxpayers, according to a report
A just-released report suggests taxpayers in British Columbia spent millions more during the pandemic on raises for government workers.
According to the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, 33,336 B.C. government workers got raises in 2020, at a cost of approximately $69 million.
In 2021, 28,972 got a pay boost, to the tune of about $47 million. In total, $116,095,813 went to paying workers more over the two-year period, the report from the fiscally-conservative non-profit says.
The data provided by the CTF suggests B.C. was among the provinces giving out the most raises in the last two years, following Ontario (64,958 employees) and Quebec (42,149).
Federally, nearly 313,000 government workers made more during the pandemic. Altogether, the data obtained by the CTF via Freedom of Information Act request suggested 528,347 government workers at the federal and provincial levels got raises.
In a news release Monday, B.C. director for the CTF Kris Sims pointed out many non-government workers took a pay cut, lost their job or saw their business severely impacted during the same time.
"It's unfair to ask them to pay higher taxes so bureaucrats and politicians can get a pay hike," Sims said.
The report from the not-for-profit agency that looks to reduce taxes by cutting government spending said Statistics Canada data shows that in addition to the pay raises, 306,800 more government jobs were added across Canada since the start of the pandemic.
It was not clear which sectors saw increases in headcount and salary, but the pandemic has likely created more work at the government level in areas including health care.
Prior to the pandemic, daily updates from the Health Ministry were not the norm, and several other events have occurred in that two-year span, including unprecedented heat, devastating floods and an escalating opioid crisis.
Still, it's easy to see why some would feel frustrated, especially small business owners who've been drastically impacted by public health restrictions associated with the pandemic.
Tax changes coming into effect in 2022 are likely unwelcome news for many who've struggled to make ends meet, including that those making $40,000 or more this year who will see more of their income deducted federally.
The B.C. government will be increasing its carbon tax later this year, meaning it'll cost more to drive and to heat residents' homes. Federally, the Canada Pension Plan and Employment Insurance tax each cost more, and alcohol taxes are set to go up in April.
In addition, many municipal governments are hiking property taxes, including in Vancouver where the city's new budget includes a higher-than-proposed 6.35 per cent increase.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Video shows suspect setting Toronto-area barbershop on fire
Video of a suspect lighting a Richmond Hill barbershop on fire earlier this week has been released by police.
'I have the will to live': N.B. woman needs double lung transplant
A New Brunswick woman suffering from sarcoidosis, a disease that limits your lung capacity, is in need of a double lung transplant.
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
Boeing is on the verge of launching astronauts aboard new capsule, the newest entry to space travel
It’s the first flight of Boeing’s Starliner capsule with a crew on board, a pair of NASA pilots who will check out the spacecraft during the test drive and a weeklong stay at the space station.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Suter scores late goal, clinches series for Canucks
Pius Suter scored with 1:39 left and the Vancouver Canucks advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night in Game 6.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.