Capital & Debt

Infrastructure investment and provincial borrowing trajectory

Peak Capital Investment

$18.7B

2026/27 Budget Year

BC Hydro, BCTA, and health facilities account for the majority of spend · Tapering to $16.1B by 2028/29 as projects complete

Total Debt by 2028/29

$234.6B

46.4% of Provincial GDP

Rising from $154.1B (34.5% GDP) in 2025/26 · Taxpayer-supported component reaches $189.0B (37.4% GDP)

Interest Bite

4.9¢ → 8.2¢

Per $1 of revenue · 2025/26 to 2028/29

Debt service grows from $3.8B to $5.4B — the fastest-growing line item in the budget, up 42% over three years

Capital Spending by Sector

All four years · Taxpayer-supported and Crown corporation (self-supported) · Figures in $billions

Debt-to-GDP Trajectory

Taxpayer-supported and total provincial debt as % of GDP · Interest bite (¢ per $1 revenue) shown below axis

Taxpayer-Supported Debt

Total Provincial Debt (incl. Crown corps)

Capital spending peaks in 2026/27 at $18.7B, driven by major transit, healthcare, and energy investments. BC Hydro ($4.8B in 2026/27) is self-supported — it borrows and repays from its own revenues without drawing on taxpayer funds. Taxpayer-supported debt is the more policy-relevant measure: it reaches $142.9B (30.6% of GDP) in 2026/27, growing to $189.0B (37.4% GDP) by 2028/29. For context: BC's net liabilities-to-GDP (9.0% in 2026/27) remain well below Ontario (38.9%), Quebec (40.8%), and the Canadian average (47.6%), largely because BC Hydro and other Crown corporations are substantial assets offsetting gross debt figures.