Terry Burton is a retired veteran of Alberta’s oil and heavy construction industry and a former member of the Alberta Apprenticeship Board.British Columbia was once the envy of Canada and a destination for skilled immigrants — a province rich in natural resources, economic opportunity, and fiscal stability. It stood as a model of balance: socially vibrant, economically competitive, and financially responsible. Today, that legacy is eroding at an alarming pace.Under the leadership of NDP Premier David Eby, the province has drifted into a dangerous and unsustainable pattern of deficits and debt accumulation that threatens not only BC’s present prosperity but the future of generations yet to come.This is not a temporary stumble. It is a structural shift — one that should concern every British Columbian.From Surplus to Structural DeficitWhen Eby assumed office in 2022, BC was on track to post a $5.7 billion surplus. That surplus represented a rare opportunity: to pay down debt, stabilize finances, and prepare for future economic uncertainty.Instead, that opportunity was squandered.By the end of the fiscal year, the surplus had nearly vanished. What followed was not a return to balance, but a rapid descent into record-breaking deficits: $5.6 billion, then $7.3 billion, and now a projected $11.6 billion shortfall — with even larger deficits forecast in the years ahead.At the same time, provincial debt has surged from approximately $89 billion to a projected $155 billion. This is not prudent fiscal management. It is an acceleration toward a fiscal cliff..The Cost of Borrowing Against the FutureDeficits are not abstract accounting exercises. They carry real consequences.As debt grows, so too do interest payments — projected to reach over $5 billion annually. That means billions of taxpayer dollars are no longer funding healthcare, education, or infrastructure, but instead servicing past spending.Economists warn that nearly five cents of every dollar in government revenue will soon go toward interest payments alone. This is money that cannot be invested in improving lives today.More troubling still is the long-term implication: reduced fiscal flexibility. When the next crisis comes — and it will — BC will be far less equipped to respond.A Weakening Economic FoundationThe province’s fiscal deterioration is not occurring in isolation. A weakening private sector compounds it.Government spending has surged, particularly in health and education, but revenue growth has not kept pace. In fact, revenues have been undermined by a slowing housing market and struggling resource industries such as forestry.At the same time, policy choices have created an increasingly hostile environment for investment. High personal taxes, regulatory burdens, and an adversarial stance toward resource development have discouraged both domestic and international investors..The result is predictable: declining productivity, capital flight, and a shrinking competitive edge.BC cannot spend its way to prosperity while simultaneously undermining the very sectors that generate wealth.Energy Policy and Lost OpportunityNowhere is this contradiction more evident than in the province’s approach to energy development.Major projects — particularly in the energy sector — have faced relentless opposition, regulatory delays, and political uncertainty. The case of the Trans Mountain pipeline is emblematic. Originally backed by private investment, the project became so encumbered by political and legal barriers (both federal and provincial) that the private proponent, Kinder Morgan, withdrew.What followed was billions in public expenditure — costs that should never have fallen to taxpayers.The lesson is clear: when governments impede, delay, and politicize major projects, investment disappears. Economic opportunity is lost. And taxpayers are left footing the bill.The Broader ConsequencesThe implications of this fiscal trajectory extend far beyond balance sheets.A province burdened by debt becomes less attractive to skilled immigrants, less competitive for investment, and less capable of delivering essential services efficiently. Infrastructure development slows. Job creation weakens. Social tensions rise as resources become constrained..This is not theoretical. It is already happening.And yet, there appears to be no credible plan to reverse course and, even more alarmingly, there appears to be no serious political will to address this unfolding tragedy.A Moral Failure Across GenerationsPerhaps the most troubling aspect of BC’s current path is its intergenerational impact.Debt incurred today does not disappear. It is transferred — quietly but inexorably — to future taxpayers. To our children. To those who had no voice in the decisions being made.There is no moral justification for burdening future generations with the cost of present-day political expediency.This is not responsible governance. It is a failure of stewardship.Make no mistake, the deficits and debt being incurred by Eby’s BC government are an anchor firmly affixed to our present as well as future children’s necks. One might conclude that this deficit and debt addiction is one of the greatest immoral acts any government could commit against its most vulnerable — that is, the children!!.If we claim to care about the well-being of our children, then we must confront an uncomfortable truth: leaving them a legacy of mounting debt and diminished opportunity is a profound disservice.The cries of anguish and desperation from BC’s present, as well as numerous future generations of children will be, “Premier Eby, Premier Eby, why hast Thou forsaken and abused us so?”Time for a Course CorrectionBC does not lack potential. It remains one of the most resource-rich and geographically advantaged regions in the world. But potential alone is not enough.What is required is governmental vision, discipline, leadership, and an unwavering commitment to establish conditions that encourage and reward investment.Complemented by a return to responsible fiscal anchors — clear commitments to deficit reduction and debt control. A renewed focus on economic growth driven by a competitive private sector. A regulatory environment that encourages, rather than deters, investment.These are not radical ideas. They are the foundations of sustainable prosperity..No Free LunchThe message to British Columbians is simple: there is no free lunch.Every dollar of deficit spending today is a dollar that must be repaid tomorrow — with interest. The longer we ignore this reality, the heavier the burden becomes.Future generations will not thank us for our silence. They will question how a province so rich in opportunity allowed itself to fall into such avoidable decline.And they will be right to do so.BC still has time to change course. But that window is closing.The question is no longer whether we can afford to act. It is whether we can afford not to.Terry Burton is a retired veteran of Alberta’s oil and heavy construction industry and a former member of the Alberta Apprenticeship Board.
