issues and experts

SFU experts available for interview – B.C. provincial budget

February 17, 2026

The British Columbia government is set to table the provincial budget later today.

With a projected deficit of $11.2 billion for this fiscal year, Premier David Eby says the government is “facing significant budget pressures” as it looks to find financial sustainability.

SFU experts are available to give their insight on the budget, political backdrop and potential labour issues.

ANDREY PAVLOV, professor, finance
apavlov@sfu.ca
Expertise: real estate markets, housing affordability, B.C. and Canadian economy, interest rates, inflation.

DAVID FREEMAN
, professor, economics
david_freeman@sfu.ca
Expertise: Behavioural economics — the influence of emotions, social pressure and bias in economic decision-making.

KENDRA STRAUSS, professor and director, Labour Studies, co-director, SSHRC Partnership Understanding Precarity in BC  
kendra_strauss@sfu.ca
Expertise:  Labour issues and labour migration/immigration, multi-dimensional precarity, feminist political economy, unfree labour, gender and work, precarious employment, care work.

ALI BHAGAT, assistant professor, director of the minor in public policy, School of Public Policy
ali_bhagat@sfu.ca
Expertise: Political economy, migration, labour, social policy, equity. 

NICOLAS KENNY, professor, history
nicolas_kenny@sfu.ca
Expertise: Canadian political history, B.C. politics, Quebec politics. Speaks French.

SANJAY JERAM, senior lecturer, political science (available from Feb 20)
604.445.6790 | sjeram@sfu.ca
Expertise: Public opinion, ideologies, provincial political cultures, electoral strategy, immigration and diversity issues. 
 

Contact

SAM SMITH, SFU Communications & Marketing
236.880.3297 | samuel_smith@sfu.ca

Simon Fraser University   
Communications & Marketing | SFU Media Experts Directory   
778.782.3210

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SFU is a leading research university, advancing an inclusive and sustainable future. Over the past 60 years, SFU has been recognized among the top universities worldwide in providing a world-class education and working with communities and partners to develop and share knowledge for deeper understanding and meaningful impact. Committed to excellence in everything we do, SFU fosters innovation to address global challenges and continues to build a welcoming, inclusive community where everyone feels a sense of belonging. With campuses in British Columbia’s three largest cities—Burnaby, Surrey and Vancouver—SFU has ten faculties that deliver 368 undergraduate degree programs and 149 graduate degree programs for more than 37,000 students each year. The university boasts more than 200,000 alumni residing in 145+ countries.

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