Budget 2026: Active Transportation Squeezed
This spring will mark the first time in over two decades that the provincial government will not be announcing project awards to B.C. communities as part of their annual Active Transportation (AT) Infrastructure Grant program. The program was paused in late summer 2025, and there is currently no sign of it returning.
Given the B.C. government’s growing debt, cutbacks could have been expected, but the current state of funding is a major stall for the advancement of AT in BC. The $45m in AT spending last year is less than one per cent of this year’s Ministry of Transportation and Transit budget.
The popular and highly successful e-bike rebates, capital funding for Ministry-led AT infrastructure projects on provincial highways, and matching funds for local governments and First Nation-led infrastructure and planning projects, are all as yet uncommitted for 2026.
The BC AT Grant Program has awarded nearly $130M across over 400 projects since 2017. Communities have been supported in building new and upgraded sidewalks, multi-use paths, and bike lanes to provide safe and accessible active transportation options. These investments are leveraged by municipalities and other recipients through cost-sharing: $24m in municipal cost-shared provincial funding in 2024 generated $174m in new projects, a majority in small communities.
To put this investment in context, $130m is the cost of one kilometre of highway widening in this year’s spending on the Trans-Canada Highway (Highway 1) Improvement Program.
CleanBC goals also seem to be on pause, including the bold commitment for 30 per cent of trips to be by transit or active transportation, and a 25 per cent reduction in vehicle kilometres travelled by 2030.
The Ministry of Transportation and Transit did, however,deliver good news to some provincial advocacy organizations: BC Bike Valet grants (administered by BCCC), GoByBike events, and HUB's school-based education programs were all renewed for 2026.
Still, our conversations with transportation planners, engineers and advocates in communities across B.C. all point to serious concerns about the future of AT funding in B.C.
We keep hearing: “don’t count on it”.
Active transportation investments—in policies, strategies and planning, and in capital infrastructure, programs, and incentives— deliver affordable options to rising fuel prices, health care cost savings, economic development through cycle tourism, happier, cleaner and healthier communities and lower GHG emissions.
This is too important to not invest in, and the government needs to hear from you that you believe this too.
Please write to your local elected official — your mayor, chief, council members, regional director, and MLA. Let them know you would like to see strong, immediate, restored funding commitments to active transportation.
Consider supporting our work as well—a donation to the BCCC will help us up our game advocating for AT in B.C.