Opinion: B.C. bureaucrats rack up six-figure helicopter tab

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B.C. bureaucrats are bringing a whole new meaning to the phrase “sky-high spending”.

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Employees of the provincial government have been charging taxpayers for tens of thousands of dollars worth of helicopter travel.

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Why wait in line for the ferry when you can look down on it from a helicopter?

Helicopter trips seem to have become the norm, not the exception, for some bureaucrats in B.C.’s government.

Let’s take a look at the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport, for example.

Staff from the Tourism Ministry spent $93,000 on helicopter rides in 2024 alone, according to documents obtained by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation through freedom-of-information requests.

It’s truly difficult to imagine a more wasteful way for government bureaucrats to spend taxpayer money. A helicopter service is the most expensive way to get between Vancouver and Victoria.

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Bureaucrats at the tourism ministry billed taxpayers for 250 rides, an average of five per week. The average cost of the helicopter trips was $370 each way. By comparison, the same trip on the government-owned B.C. Ferries costs $20 for a walk-on ticket.

One bureaucrat from that ministry expensed 27 chopper trips between Vancouver and Victoria, which cost taxpayers more than $14,930. If that bureaucrat alone had taken the ferry, it would have saved taxpayers $14,390.

Four employees at the tourism ministry billed taxpayers for 20 or more helicopter rides in 2024.

Other ministries also saw staff run up big bills on helicopter travel.

Staff at the Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs chose to spend more than $40,000 on helicopter rides while overseeing Canada’s most unaffordable housing market.

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Bureaucrats at the Jobs Ministry spent another $90,000 on helicopter trips in 2024. While they were flying high, British Columbians were dealing with rising unemployment. Unemployment rose from 5.2 per cent to six per cent in the last six months of 2024.

Premier David Eby has told his cabinet to “reduce costs for families” and review program spending “in the context of current budget constraints.” Those savings are urgently needed because B.C.’s provincial debt is going up by $23.6 billion this year.

A good place to start finding savings is by cutting non-essential helicopter travel for government staff.

B.C.’s provincial credit rating has taken a nose dive under Eby’s leadership. S&P Global’s most recent credit rating downgrade brought B.C. down from AA- to A+.

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“The province’s commitment to fiscal discipline and stability has wavered in recent years,” wrote S&P Global.

When helicopter travel for bureaucrats seems to have become standard, the government’s commitment to fiscal discipline has not just wavered, it has evaporated altogether.

It’s one thing when police, ambulance service, firefighters or search and rescue teams need to quickly travel to remote locations. But it’s a serious problem if a helicopter service becomes an expectation for B.C.’s bureaucracy.

British Columbians are wondering how they will afford to make their rent and mortgage payments while provincial employees use tax dollars on helicopter travel.

This is not just about expensive helicopter rides. It shows a culture of waste within the provincial government. Enough is enough. Eby must ground helicopter trips for bureaucrats.

Carson Binda is B.C.’s director for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.

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