Former B.C. attorney general and housing minister David Eby arrives for a news conference in a park in downtown Vancouver, B.C., Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022. Eby will take the oath of office to become British Columbia’s next premier today on the traditional territory of the Musqueam First Nation in Vancouver. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward
VANCOUVER – New British Columbia Premier David Eby has been sworn in and immediately announced a $100 cost-of-living credit for residents on their electricity bills.
Eby has also established a BC Affordability Credit for low- and middle-income people starting in January that will provide up to $164 for adults and $41 for children.
He says people and small businesses in the province are feeling the squeeze of global inflation and his government is focused on helping residents most impacted by the rising costs.
The one-time cost-of-living credit will be applied automatically to residents’ BC Hydro bills this fall.
The government says in a news release that the Crown-owned utility is able to afford the credit due to market conditions that resulted in increased trade and domestic revenues.
The announcements came as Eby was sworn in at the Musqueam Community Centre in Vancouver, the first-ever swearing in of a premier hosted by a First Nation in B.C.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 18, 2022.
