Ranking in Thompson Okanagan area – the less the number better

Summerland 26
Penticton 23
Oliver 7 (25th in province)
Osoyoos 21
Keremeos 4 (14th in province)
Princeton 17

Only 6 out of the 152 municipalities (4%) examined in BC kept operating spending in line with inflation and population growth over the past decade. No large municipalities (population of 25,000 and over) made the list

BC’s population grew by 13 per cent from 2003 to 2013. Over the same period, operating expenditures adjusted for inflation ballooned by 49 per cent – 3.75 times greater than population growth.

A reasonable rate of growth for a municipality is inflation and population growth. In BC, the excess spending above this level over the past ten years represents $8.2 billion dollars. What this means is a BC family of four could have saved on average $8,035 in municipal taxes had municipalities kept their spending in control.

* In 2003, BC residents spent on average $959 dollars for the operations of their local government (total municipal operating spending divided by total BC population). In 2013, that dollar amount increased to $1,260 per person when adjusted to inflation, representing a 31 per cent increase in operating spending per capita in BC.

BC’s major centres, Vancouver and Victoria, increased their operating spending by 29 and 28 per cent respectively from 2003 – 2013 after adjusting for inflation and population growth.

Findings of a study by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business

* BC municipalities collect for regional districts, other agencies and school district. Some of the figures given here may not totally represent municipal only spending

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