The NDP government says it will make good on a one-time payment of $1,000 to families and $500 to individuals by the end of the year.
Pushing through the tax-free payments by the end of December is one of a handful of promises Premier John Horgan’s government said it will focus on in the short legislative session between now and the Christmas holiday, according to a press release.
The $1,000 benefit applies to families with a combined household income of less than $125,000 per year. Payments to families making more than that will be granted on a sliding scale up to $170,000.
Individuals making less than $62,000 a year will be eligible for a one-time $500 payment, with those earning up to $87,000 also eligible for a payment along a sliding scale.
On Tuesday, Finance Minister Selina Robinson introduced legislation that would allow British Columbians to start applying for the benefit Dec. 18.
She said the cost of the program, including increases to income and disability assistance payments of $150 a month starting in January 2021, amounts to about $1.7 billion.
Robinson said she expects some people will receive the one-time recovery benefit before Christmas, while others will get the money deposited into their accounts before the end of December.
"This will give people some breathing room and peace of mind, a bit more to spend on groceries, on coats, on boots for their growing kids," she told a news conference.
The one-time payments are meant to stimulate local spending as the province looks to emerge from an economic downturn triggered by the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. But as some pundits have pointed out, even residents who continued to work full-time will be eligible for the cheques.
One other promise Horgan made appears to have fallen off the radar screen: a one-time $400 rebate for all renters. It's not clear if the Horgan government intends to try to get the rent rebate approved before Christmas, as well.
In a throne speech read at the legislature in Victoria Monday, Lt.-Gov. Janet Austin said the government has plans to "ramp up" investment in infrastructure and transportation as part of a wider push to stimulate the economy.
Other spending, announced in the fall, will be directed toward hiring 7,000 new front-line health and long-term care workers, more funding for child care and a number of supports for business.
That includes plans to reward eligible businesses for hiring workers by providing incentives to help people retrain for jobs that are in demand after the pandemic, as well as an exemption on the PST for machinery and equipment and a small business recovery grant.
"In the months ahead, your government will build on the measures already in place," Austin said. "Some programs will be extended or expanded, and new ones launched."
— With files from Nelson Bennett and the Canadian Press
