BCAHL’s 2010 Budget Submission

Soon it will be time for the Provincial Government to consider its budget for the fiscal year beginning in April 2010. As part of the public consultation process, BCAHL prepared and submitted a Brief to the Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services. Our Brief reiterates some of the recommendations that have been part of previous submissions or which were included in our recent report Healthy Futures for BC Families, but we have also added some new proposals.

Among our most urgent requests are that the provincial government establish targets, investments and actions to improve health equity in BC, require all ministries to subject new policies, spending and programs to a health equity assessment and commit to and fund a poverty reduction strategy. We believe that these three actions could go a long way to addressing inequities in health which continue to exist in British Columbia.

We also tackle a range of specific measures which could impact positively on healthy living and the reduction of chronic disease. These include setting aside 7% of all transportation infrastructures funding for Active Transportation infrastructure such as walking and bicycle paths, subsidizing nicotine replacement therapies and expanding the provincial smoke-free legislation to prohibit the sale of tobacco products in pharmacies, as nine other provinces and territories have already done.

We are also concerned that recent budget reductions are impacting on the resources available to support community initiatives such as Active Communities which encourages physical activity, as well as those which are targeted to improving the health and wellness of school children. Thus we have urged the government to maintain funding for programs such as the School Fruit and Vegetable Nutritional Program, Action Schools! BC and continue to implement the Guidelines for Food and Beverage Sales in BC Schools.

Of overall importance is our plea that the Provincial Government dedicate more funding to the prevention of chronic disease. We believe that the ideal level would be 6% of funds allocated for health (or illness) care to be dedicated to programs and initiatives that would focus on population health. Such investments would improve the prospects for British Columbians to avoid chronic diseases and live healthier lives and would, in the long-term, lessen the load on the health care system.

Read our full submission to the Government.

Mary Collins
Director, BC Alliance for Healthy Living Secretariat
October 26, 2009