Several women members of an anti-poverty group occupied the Vancouver constituency office of B.C. Finance Minister Carole Taylor Monday afternoon, demanding a meeting with her to ask for money for social housing in Tuesday's provincial budget.

Taylor said most people in the province don't believe aggressive demonstrations are the way to talk about serious issues.

B.C. Finance Minister Carole Taylor said she plans to increase welfare rates in Tuesday's budget.
(CBC)

Last week, anti-poverty activists disrupted a ceremony to unveil an Olympic countdown clock in downtown Vancouver.

According to Taylor, low-income residents can expect a boost in social assistance in the budget. She said she's taken into account a promise made last fall by Premier Gordon Campbell to boost welfare rates.

Although this will be a surplus budget in a robust economy, it's impossible to please everyone when it comes to spending priorities, Taylor said. 

The finance minister is setting an environmentally friendly tone for her budget speech by wearing the same shoes she wore when she introduced her first budget in 2005.

"I think we're all getting into the environmental spirit this year," Taylor said. "So I'm adopting the environmental dictum, which is to reduce, reuse and recycle."

It's not clear what else she'll do to deal with climate change. She has been telling reporters there is a lot of work to be done before the government can commit a lot of money to a climate-change action plan.

"We will have green spending initiatives, as we have in every budget, but I would suggest the big climate-change action plan will come up with ideas and initiatives that will dominate next year's budget," she said Monday.
        
Critics say the government must back up its words with money. The Sierra Club said the government should go ahead and fund clean energy, but halt spending on projects such as twinning the Port Mann Bridge, which crosses the Fraser River between Coquitlam and Surrey near Vancouver on B.C.'s Lower Mainland.

The club's Lisa Matthaus says the government must invest money now to help fight global warming.

The finance minister is expected to announce a surplus of about $2 billion.