Higher education in British Columbia
In the report, "Campus 2020: Thinking Ahead", the creation of a Higher Education Price Index is recommended to reflect education costs so that each institution can set its own tuition levels independently, but subject to the limits imposed by the provincial government. Regarding the issue of funding higher education in British Columbia, "research-based allocation" of resources will increase the efficiency of these funds. In relation to the system, more funding is necessary to focus on the specific targets of post-secondary achievement by progressively introducing outcome and performance measurements and accountability into the budgeting process.
2017 British Columbia general election
Unlike the Federal government or most provinces, British Columbia has no limits on political donations. Wealthy individuals, corporations, unions and even foreigners are allowed to donate large amounts to political parties there. On January 13, 2017, the New York Times published a story calling British Columbia the "Wild West" of Canadian political cash. According to the New York Times, "critics of [Premier Clark] and her party, the conservative British Columbia Liberal Party, say the provincial government has been transformed into a lucrative business, dominated by special interests that trade donations for political favors, undermining Canada's reputation for functional, consensus-driven democracy." The article also explored Premier Clark's practice of taking an additional salary from the BC Liberals, beyond her Premier salary, financed by political contributions. The Globe and Mail also followed up with a special investigation of "British Columbia: The 'wild west' of fundraising". The investigation found that lobbyists are giving tens of thousands of dollars in their own name – and some power brokers are breaking one of the few rules the province has in place. With no limits on political donations in B.C., the provincial Liberals raised $12.4 million last year – $4.5-million from individuals and $7.9-million from corporations.
On March 5, 2017, Elections BC announced it was launching a probe into Liberal Party fundraising. The official opposition, the BC NDP, has promised to ban corporate and union donation if elected, as well as limits on individual donations, but continues to accept corporate and union donations at the present time. The BC Green Party announced in September 2016 that it would no longer accept donations from corporations or unions.