FIVETHINGS

The NDP government’s second budget focused on tax breaks and benefits for people with children, students and businesses, and investments in clean energy and climate initiatives. Here’s a brief summary:

1 CHILD CARE

The budget didn’t make any large strides toward $10-a-day child care beyond continuing funding for the government’s 2018 child-care plan into 2021-22 and increasing it by $9 million a year. The bigger news was the introduction of a B.C. Child Opportunity Benefit to replace the early childhood tax benefit, which currently provides families with up to $660 a year per child under age six.

The new benefit, which begins in October 2020, will provide families with one child up to $1,600 a year, with two kids up to $2,600 a year and with three children up to $3,400 a year. Instead of ending at six years of age, the benefit will be paid until the child is 18.

2 EDUCATION

Good news for British Columbians with student loans — no more interest payments. As of Tuesday, all B.C. student loans will stop accumulating interest, saving someone with $11,700 in provincial student loans $2,300 over the 10-year repayment period. This will cost the government $318 million.

The public education system will get a boost, with $2.7 billion set aside over three years to maintain, replace, renovate or expand facilities. There will also be $550 million invested to hire new teachers and special-education assistants, and improve classrooms.

3 RENTAL HOUSING

Community groups will be provided with funding to operate rent banks to provide short-term loans with little or no interest to low-income tenants who can’t pay their rent because of financial crisis. It will cost $10 million and be funded through the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction.

The implementation of a B.C.-wide rent bank system for low-income people was one of 23 recommendations delivered last year by the Rental Housing Task Force.

4 CLIMATE CHANGE

The climate-action tax credit will be increased in 2019, 2020 and 2021. Starting July 1, the maximum credit will go up by 14 per cent for adults and children, meaning low- and middle-income families of four will receive up to $400 for this year.

More than $107 million in operating funding will provide incentives for battery-electric and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles (up to $6,000), incentives for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, incentives for homecharging stations, as well as other programs.

5 HEALTH CARE

The Pharmacare program will be expanded with an additional $42 million to cover more drugs, including those for diabetes, asthma and hypertension. An additional $30 million will be invested in tackling the drug-overdose crisis, bringing the total investment since 2017 to $608 million. Mental-health programs focused on prevention and early intervention for kids, youth and young adults will be funded to the tune of $74 million.

As promised previously, MSP premiums will be fully eliminated Jan. 1, 2020, saving families up to $1,800 per year.