Conversations That Matter: Here's why people are leaving B.C.

Advertisement 1 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Breadcrumb Trail Links HomeBusinessLocal BusinessNewsLocal NewsPolitics Conversations That Matter: Here's why people are leaving B.C. 'People are voting with their feet; they’re leaving … for the first time in 151 years, the population of the province of B.C. is decreasing' Author of the article: By Stuart McNish  •  Special To The Sun Published Sep 11, 2026 Last updated 28 minutes ago 1 minute read Join the conversation Jock Finlayson and Ryan Berlin. PHOTO BY STUART MCNISH /Conversations That Matter Article content People are voting with their feet on B.C.’s poor economic performance and moving to another province, experts say. Article content “GDP, per capita income, private sector investment, export performance, private sector employment creation, and the state of the provincial finances have all lost ground in recent years,” states a Building B.C. Right report. The report’s authors, noted economists Jock Finlayson and Ken Peacock, say that “the picture is sobering.” Article content Article content Article content According to Finlayson and Peacock, B.C.’s “poor performance stands out in part to home grown challenges rooted in provincial policies that have raised costs, fostered uncertainty, discouraged investment, expanded the public sector at an unsustainable pace, and weakened the government’s fiscal position in a dramatic way.” Article content FP West: Energy Insider SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE: FP West: Energy Insider brings you behind the oilpatch’s closed doors with exclusive insights from insiders every Wednesday morning. Sign Up By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Article content While it’s tempting to blame U.S. trade tensions malaise, the Building B.C. Right report says “the data clearly shows the province’s economic underperformance predates the current tariff environment by several years.” Article content Ryan Berlin, the vice-president of intelligence and chief economist at Rennie, says, “Add it all up and people are voting with their feet; they’re leaving and, for the first time in 151 years, the population of the province of B.C. is decreasing.” Article content Finlayson and Berlin joined a Conversation That Matters about BC’s economy and why BC’s population dropped by more than 40,000 people. Article content Learn More about our guest’s…