MLA in Mid Island-Pacific Rim · BC provincial 2026
Josie Osborne
Minister of Finance, running again for the BC NDP in Mid Island-Pacific Rim.
Josie Osborne has been the MLA for Mid Island-Pacific Rim since 2020. She was Minister of Health from November 2024 and became Minister of Finance on August 14, 2026. Her 2026 statements in the legislature cover doctor and nurse recruitment, mental health care, the toxic drug crisis and seniors care.
A researched record of Josie Osborne's commitments, dated actions and public statements from 2026, with news items. Most come from the legislature record and government releases.
On dates without a confirmed appearance the public schedule is unknown; the candidate may still have activities that day. This static page changes only when its research is updated.
01 / Introduction
About Josie Osborne
Josie Osborne is the BC NDP candidate in Mid Island-Pacific Rim on Elections BC's list for the general election of October 24, 2026. She won the district in 2024 with 14,042 votes, 48.74% of the valid vote, according to the Elections BC statement of votes.
The legislature record lists her election years as 2020 and 2024. It shows her as Minister of Health from November 18, 2024, and as Minister of Finance from August 14, 2026. CBC News reported on August 14, 2026 that Premier David Eby moved her from Health to Finance in a cabinet change.
As Minister of Health in 2026 she answered questions in the legislature on hospital staffing, maternity care, mental health care, long-term care and the toxic drug crisis. As Minister of Finance she presented the province's First Quarterly Report on September 14, 2026, with a forecast deficit of $13.8 billion for 2026-27.
Her campaign page says she moved to Tofino to work as a fisheries biologist for the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council, led an environmental education non-profit, and served as mayor of Tofino for almost eight years. It also says she has held five different portfolios. Those are the campaign's own statements; the legislature record checked by voche.me lists her two roles since 2024.
Published positions and selected commitments, separated by election cycle. Status labels describe the evidence reviewed, not a numerical score or a complete audit of the platform. Council approval is different from delivery.
17 commitments shown · Checked Sep 30
2026 · Public servicesIn progress
Train and recruit more doctors
In question period on May 27, 2026, Osborne said the government is opening a new medical school at SFU this fall, has added 128 medical seats at UBC, and has had 581 job offers accepted through its recruitment campaign in the U.S.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
She names the seats and the opening date. She gives no cost and no number of doctors the measures will add by a set date.
What still needs checking
Does the SFU medical school take its first students in fall 2026?
Raise the share of people with a family doctor or nurse practitioner
In the Health estimates on April 30, 2026, Osborne explained the ministry service plan target: the share of people attached to a primary care provider grows from 75.2 percent in 2024-25 to 80 percent in 2028-29.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
She gives the target and the year. She names no cost for reaching it.
What still needs checking
What attachment rate does the ministry report for 2026-27?
Expand involuntary mental health and addiction care
In question period on March 31, 2026, Osborne said the 2026 budget holds $131 million to build out involuntary care and treatment, and that beds are being added in Surrey and Prince George.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
She names the budget amount. She gives no number of beds and no opening date.
What still needs checking
How many involuntary care beds open in Surrey and Prince George, and when?
In question period on May 5, 2026, Osborne said the government has committed to a review of the Mental Health Act and would soon release new guidance on the act.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
She gives no date for the review to start, and she said its terms of reference wait on a court decision. voche.me did not find the guidance or the review terms.
What still needs checking
Has the government published the guidance and the terms of the review?
Keep the family residence and travel programs for rural patients
In question period on April 23, 2026, Osborne said the government increased the budget of the B.C. family residence program for 2026-27, and that there have been no cuts to the travel assistance program.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
She names the budget year. She gives no dollar figure and no number of families served.
What still needs checking
How much did the program budget rise, and how many families did it help?
In question period on February 19, 2026, Osborne said the budget adds $35 million to Independent Living B.C. to help low- and moderate-income seniors stay at home longer.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
She names the amount. She gives no number of seniors and no date.
What still needs checking
How many more seniors does the added money support?
The Westerly News reports that Osborne announced eight transitional recovery beds for Port Alberni on July 31, 2026, as part of the government's Road to Recovery model.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The report gives eight beds and says officials expected the home to open within a month. It gives no cost.
In question period on April 14, 2026, Osborne said harm reduction saves lives and that the government is adding safeguards to prescribed alternatives, such as witnessed dosing.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
She names the measure. She gives no cost, number or date.
What still needs checking
When does witnessed dosing apply across the province?
In question period on April 14, 2026, Osborne said toxic drugs and substance use disorder are a health issue and a criminal justice approach would cost lives. On March 30, 2026 she said the decriminalization pilot did not give the results the government had hoped for.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
A statement of approach. It names no measure, cost or date.
What still needs checking
What drug policy would a new government follow after the pilot?
In question period on April 1, 2026, Osborne said the Health Professions and Occupations Act came into force that day, with new college boards appointed through a merit-based process.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
She describes a law already in force. She gives no cost or further date.
What still needs checking
Do the new colleges report faster credentialing, as she said they were directed to?
A government release on September 18, 2026 quotes Osborne, as Minister of Finance, on pausing the PST expansion to professional services that was set for October 1, 2026.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The release gives $260 million in savings for 2026-27 and says a temporary regulation does the pause. It gives no end date for the pause.
What still needs checking
When, if ever, does the PST expansion take effect?
A government release on September 14, 2026 quotes Osborne saying B.C. is adapting to U.S. tariffs, its exports are growing, and the government will build a more self-reliant economy.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
A statement of approach. The release reports past export growth and names no new measure, target or date of hers.
What still needs checking
What measures would a new government add to reach new markets?
In her re-election statement printed by the Alberni Valley News on September 23, 2026, Osborne said people in the district count on the party to keep bringing rents down.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
A statement of priority. It names no housing measure, number or date.
What still needs checking
Which housing measures does she support for the district?
Recorded votes and government actions where an official source or a news report names her. A government program is the government's; it is listed here only where a source ties her to it.
Recorded vote, yes
Voted yes on the 2026 budget motion
The recorded vote index lists Osborne voting yes on the budget motion.
Scope, limits and sources
The index records her vote. The motion text is in the transcript of February 26, 2026.
Voted yes on third reading of the K'ómoks Treaty Act (Bill 20)
The recorded vote index lists Osborne voting yes at second reading on May 20 and at third reading on May 28, 2026, and no on an amendment to second reading.
Scope, limits and sources
The index records her vote. It does not record a speech by her on the bill.
Voted yes on third reading of the freedom of information bill (Bill 9)
The recorded vote index lists Osborne voting yes at second and third reading of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Amendment Act, 2026.
Scope, limits and sources
The index shows she voted for two amendments and against one amendment to second reading. It does not describe what each amendment changed.
As Minister of Finance, Osborne presented the First Quarterly Report, with a forecast deficit of $13.8 billion for 2026-27, $450 million higher than in February.
Scope, limits and sources
The figures are forecasts by the Ministry of Finance.
Records are labelled by type, including official findings, civil proceedings and political disputes where applicable. Each entry identifies the response found in the sources and the latest status verified for this page.
Official finding
Question of privilege over statements on research data
Claire Rattée, MLA for Skeena, raised a question of privilege on April 2, 2026, arguing that Osborne, as Minister of Health, may have misled the House about data held by researcher Julian Somers. The Speaker ruled on April 20, 2026.
Candidate or party response
On April 13, 2026 Osborne told the House the data was moved to a government research database in 2021 and still exists.
Verified status and limits
The Speaker found no prima facie breach of privilege, and said the two members offered different readings of the information.
A dated reading list from independent publishers. The headings below are voche.me summaries; follow each link for the original article, context and any corrections.
Reporting
Tofino-Ucluelet Westerly News
Cancer care clinic planned for West Coast General Hospital
Reports Island Health's plan for a chemotherapy clinic in Port Alberni by 2028, with comments from Osborne.
Sources checked September 30, 2026. Official records establish decisions; campaign material establishes stated positions; reporting adds investigation and context. None alone establishes every claim.
The campaign page lists no events and no platform of her own, and its Latest link opens the party home page. Her social media posts could not be read, because X, Facebook and Instagram show a sign-in page. The Health estimates debates (April and May 2026) were not read line by line, and 18 other 2026 transcripts listed in her speech index were not opened. Votes are taken from the vote index only; the transcripts of those votes were not opened. No 2026 all-candidates meeting for Mid Island-Pacific Rim was found. Her roles before 2024, including the cabinet posts her campaign mentions and her years as mayor of Tofino, were not checked against official records. Whether Inlet Recovery Home opened, and whether the SFU medical school took its first students, were not checked. Campaign finances and endorsements were not reviewed. The questionnaire has not been sent.
Research status
What voche.me has checked
Evidence reviewed on 2026-09-30: the Elections BC candidate list and 2024 statement of votes, the legislature's 2026 speech and vote indexes, 16 transcripts from 2026 where she spoke or was named, four government releases, her campaign page, the BC NDP platform and releases pages, and news reports from 2020 and 2026.
Her commitments on this page come from what she said in the legislature, in government releases and to reporters in 2026. Her campaign page states no measures of its own. Sections with no entry record that voche.me found nothing on this date.
Proposed questions for a future interview. They have not been sent to the candidate, and no answers have been supplied.
No questions and answers have been supplied.
Have your own question?
Ask Josie Osborne directly. We send it to the campaign, and publish the reply here if we get one.
05 / About this page
Questions about this page
Facts voche.me can state about Josie Osborne's page itself, answered directly rather than left blank.
Is this an official page for Josie Osborne?
No. This page is researched by voche.me from public sources, listed below, and is separate from Josie Osborne's own campaign.
What party is Josie Osborne running with?
Josie Osborne is running for MLA with BC NDP.
Does Josie Osborne currently hold public office?
Yes. Josie Osborne currently serves as Minister of Finance; MLA for Mid Island-Pacific Rim.
How many sources does this Josie Osborne profile cite?
This profile lists 4 sourced references, each with the date voche.me checked it, in the Sources section below.
Why do some questions on Josie Osborne's page show no answer?
The "Questions & answers" section on this page lists questions voche.me would put to Josie Osborne in a future interview. They have not been sent yet, so the page says plainly that no answer has been supplied instead of leaving the section blank.
When is the election Josie Osborne is running in?
The 2026 British Columbia election, including the MLA race, is decided on October 24, 2026.
06 / Candidate contributions
Space for campaign updates
No campaign updates yet
Announcements, event details and messages can be added here, with their source and publication date. No campaign submission has been added.
