Jordan Bateman, who is the British Columbia director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF), is bringing the B.C. Debt Clock to the Cariboo, as part of his rapid fire tour of 30 communities in 14 days.
With B.C.'s provincial debt ticking upward at $215 per second and headed to nearly $70 billion by 2016, Bateman says the CTF felt it was time to bring its iconic debt clock on a B.C. Tour.
Bateman and the Debt Clock stops on July 9 include: 100 Mile House near Tim Hortons on Highway 97 from 9 to 9:30 a.m.; Williams Lake near Tim Hortons on Highway 97 from 11:30 to noon; and in Quesnel near Tim Hortons on Front Street from 2:45 to 3:15 p.m.
The next stop for the Debt Clock is Prince George on July 10.
The CTF launched its B.C. Debt Clock tour at a news conference in Stanley Park on June 26 because it wants to draw public attention to B.C.’s growing debt load.
“B.C.’s provincial debt will grow by a billion dollars every single quarter over the next three years – even with so-called balanced budgets. By 2016, today’s $57 billion debt will top $69.4 billion. We need to stop this clock.”
According to Bateman, B.C.’s debt grows by: $209 per second; $12,515 per minute; $750,913 per hour; $18 million per day; and about a million dollars every 80 minutes.
“Debt is a killer for future generations. It’s like putting our children and grandchildren a mile behind a marathon’s starting line.”
Bateman notes Premier Christy Clark has supported balanced budgets and even ran on a “debt-free B.C.” platform in the May provincial election.
“The premier has talked the talk on debt reduction, but now it’s time to walk the walk. “She needs to stand up against special-interest groups looking for more tax money. Based on the election results, there’s clearly an appetite in B.C. for the premier to make good on her campaign promise of a debt-free B.C.”