B.C. energy ministry says 4 calculation mistakes led to $1.5B budget error
The British Columbia government admitted to a $1.5 billion budget error caused by spreadsheet mistakes, including incorrect currency conversions and outdated cost inputs. The error led to an overestimation of gas royalties, prompting criticism regarding government transparency and technical oversight.
Why it matters
It exposes significant administrative failures in public financial management and highlights the tension between the government and indigenous groups regarding resource royalty transparency.
That’s according to senior ministry staff who released a summary of the problems on Tuesday afternoon.
The mistake with the largest impact involved applying a U.S. dollar to Canadian conversion rate to figures that were already expressed in Canadian dollars.
"A formula was incorrectly dragged across cells," said a ministry representative.
In another error, gas unit volumes were incorrectly converted, while in two other instances, staff used cost inputs from the year 2025 instead of 2026.
B.C.'s $1.5B budget error raises questions about gas royalties, transparency
Last week, the premier’s office admitted that budget 2026 had overinflated projected gas royalties by an average of $292 million per year over the next five years.
According to senior ministry staff, the mistakes were made by "technical people inside the ministry," and "new quality assurance and quality control measures have been implemented."
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