Quesnel to Host One Consultation Meeting for Next Year’s Provincial Budget

Quesnel has been chosen to host a provincial budget consultation meeting in June 2025.

The Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services announced on March 31 the details on where several meetings for next year’s Provincial Budget will take place, as well as a list of MLAs who will be in attendance.

Paul Choi, MLA for Burnaby South Metrotown and the Chair of the Finance and Government Services Committee, says the group of MLAs will consist of both government and opposition MLAs to ensure it’s nonpartisan. The committee’s task is to undertake annual public consultations that will be the basis of their recommendations on next year’s budget.

“We need to get both sides of the conversation, and both sides need to hear the conversation,” Choi says. “We want to hear from people in the community on what is important to them, and what is a priority for them.”

Choi says each year the Committee tries to ensure they visit locations they have not visited for a past consultation. The Committee looks at which communities could offer a variety of perspectives, and which are easily accessible to other communities in the region.

“We want to go to different regions and communities with a clean slate,” Choi says. “We’re there to listen and get feedback from the community members so that we have a great mix of all the views we need to consider when we are budgeting for the whole province.”

The meetings will be held in June 2025, with Quesnel’s expected to be held in the middle. There are options to attend and participate in the meetings virtually.

Anyone who is interested in speaking at the meeting must complete a request form through the Parliamentary Committees Consultation web portal. The deadline to register is April 11.

Here is the list of all the members of the Committee scheduled to attend the meetings:

• Paul Choi, MLA, Burnaby South-Metrotown (chair);
• Elenore Sturko, MLA, Surrey-Cloverdale (deputy chair);
• Jennifer Blatherwick, MLA, Coquitlam-Maillardville;
• Sunita Dhir, MLA, Vancouver-Langara;
• Claire Rattée, MLA, Skeena;
• Harwinder Sandhu, MLA, Vernon-Lumby; and
• Bryan Tepper, MLA, Surrey-Panorama

Here is the list of all eleven cities selected to host consultation meetings:

• Victoria
• Surrey
• Vancouver
• Courtenay
• Terrace
• Quesnel
• Fort St. John
• Vernon
• Penticton
• Nelson
• Cranbrook