Canada's British Columbia projects surplus in pre-election budget

VANCOUVER, Feb 21 (Reuters) - British Columbia on Tuesday projected a budget surplus of C$295 million ($224.40 million) in fiscal 2017-18, the province's fifth consecutive balanced budget under the ruling Liberals, and unveiled financial relief measures for families and businesses eleven weeks before a provincial election.

The surplus is projected at C$244 million in 2018-19 and C$223 million in 2019-20, the government said. The revised surplus for 2016-17 is now seen at C$1.5 billion, down from the previous forecast of C$2.2 billion.

($1 = 1.3146 Canadian dollars) (Reporting by Nicole Mordant in Vancouver; editing by Diane Craft)