BRITISH COLUMBIA ELECTION 2026
Reporting on British Columbia’s 2026 election for MLA. Every story links to its sources. Times are Pacific.
Last updated
88 stories so far
The Chilliwack Chamber of Commerce and the Yarrow Volunteer Society are each hosting a forum for candidates in the Chilliwack North and Chilliwack-Cultus Lake ridings ahead of the Oct. 24 election.
The Conservative Party of BC announced Stan Sipos as its candidate for Oak Bay-Gordon Head on 9 October 2026. Sipos will compete against BC NDP incumbent Diana Gibson, former Green Party leader Andrew Weaver running for Centre BC, and BC Green candidate Andrew Appleton.
Elections BC has published its list of advance voting places for the October 24, 2026 provincial election. Advance voting runs October 16 to 21, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voters can use any location in BC, not just the one in their district.
Four OneBC candidates in British Columbia appear on the October 24 ballot without party affiliation after Elections BC said their paperwork did not meet the filing requirements.
The BC Green Party published an economic plan on October 8 covering small business support, commercial rent protections, clean energy, and restoring freight and passenger rail corridors.
David Eby announced a plan on October 9 to address health-care staffing in rural BC, including tuition discounts, loan forgiveness, and a new training path for international medical graduates.
The Conservative Party of BC published a seniors platform on October 9 that would reverse changes to BC's property tax deferment program and expand home care and long-term-care options.
Agou said on social media he takes responsibility for the posts but denies the accusation of racism, adding that protests should not stop a city or put lives at risk.
The NDP proposes new taxes on high incomes and a gas tax pause. The Conservatives promise tax cuts. The Greens want a wealth tax on assets above $50 million.
The BC Green Party released a plan on October 8 to close what it says is a $316.8-million shortfall in provincial funding for inclusive education.
All four North Island candidates have confirmed they will take part in a public debate at the Tidemark Theatre in Campbell River on October 16, 2026.
BC Greens leader Emily Lowan says BC remains the most expensive province for rent and challenges the NDP housing minister's claim of a 4.5% rent decrease as misleading to tenants.
A new Angus Reid Institute survey finds David Eby carries high unfavourable awareness while Lorne Doerkson remains largely unknown to undecided voters, two weeks before voting day.
David Eby announced in Richmond on October 8 that an NDP government would freeze basic car insurance rates for three more years, extending a run of seven straight years of frozen rates.
Interim leader Lorne Doerkson removed Agou from the Conservative slate on October 8 after posts targeting the Pakistani community and pro-Palestinian protesters were made public by the NDP.
Three leaders are in the October 14 debate and two are not. The broadcasters have not said why. The voche.me editors test four possible rules against the five leaders.
The BC NDP says a Conservative plan would double car insurance rates. The Conservatives say rates stay low. The voche.me editors looked for the numbers behind both.
David Eby says he always tells voters how he will pay. The voche.me editors went through the BC NDP promises and found a dollar figure on five of fourteen.
The Conservative Party of BC announced on October 8 that a Conservative government would raise the basic personal amount from $13,216 to $32,000, saving eligible earners about $1,000 per year.
David Eby said on October 7 that a re-elected BC NDP government would set aside $15 million to help build a permanent home for Filipino Canadian heritage in BC.
After the 2024 final count, the BC NDP majority depended on a 27-vote lead in Surrey-Guildford. Four 2026 polls show leads of one to five points. The editors say: vote.
Local elections are on October 17 and the provincial election is on October 24. The voche.me editors set out what the overlap has done and ask voters to vote in both.
David Eby called the election over U.S. tariffs and Lorne Doerkson named one law as his top priority. A survey shows 57 per cent of voters name the cost of living.
Emily Lowan says a tax on wealth above $50 million will raise $22.2 billion in its first year. The voche.me editors list the five numbers the party has not published.
Lorne Doerkson promises no tax rises, two sales tax cuts and more police, and says the deficit must fall. The voche.me editors add up what his party has published.
The only televised BC leaders' debate is on October 14 and lasts 105 minutes. The voche.me editors count what that leaves for each issue and ask for a second debate.
The Conservative Party of BC published a pledge on October 7 to put $15 million toward a permanent Filipino Cultural Centre in Vancouver if elected.
The Mill Bay Community League is hosting a free public debate for the five candidates in the Juan de Fuca-Malahat riding on Thursday, October 9, at 7 p.m. at Kerry Park Arena Lounge.
The BC Green Party published a poverty reduction platform on October 6, proposing to raise provincial income and disability assistance rates to match the market-basket poverty line and index them to inflation.
The BC Green Party published a healthcare platform on October 6, proposing an integrated community health centre in every provincial riding and a review of whether to replace the current health authority model with a single provincial authority.
Lorne Doerkson announced the Conservative Party of BC's economic platform in Surrey on October 7, proposing to scrap the PST on business investment for three years and pass a 120-day permitting law for major projects.
David Eby announced an NDP seniors health care plan on October 5 that includes free shingles vaccines for adults 50 and over, 500 new home care workers, and seven paused long-term care projects moving forward.
Three BC NDP candidates announced on October 7 that a re-elected NDP government would permanently double annual provincial funding for B.C.'s 71 public library systems.
Lorne Doerkson announced the Conservative Party of BC's public safety platform on October 6, promising 250 new officers trained through JIBC, 500 more RCMP over five years, and amendments to the Mental Health Act to allow involuntary care.
The BC NDP says a re-elected government would offer interest-free loans of up to $1 million and a new youth hiring tax credit for small businesses facing U.S. tariffs and wildfire losses.
A letter Lorne Doerkson sent to insurance and legal groups on September 29 commits a Conservative government to introduce legislation restoring the right to sue for serious injuries, alongside possible private auto insurance competition.
The only live televised debate between the NDP, Conservative, and Green leaders in BC's provincial election is scheduled for Wednesday, October 14, from 6:15 to 8 p.m. PT.
David Eby's party says the new equipment will increase diagnostic capacity by 15 per cent and a shared regional waitlist will let patients choose the shortest available wait.
Conservative incumbent Sharon Hartwell and BC NDP newcomer Frankie Abel are both on the ballot for Bulkley Valley-Stikine in the October 24 provincial election, with a third candidate from the Christian Heritage Party also confirmed.
The BC Green Party published a seniors platform on October 4 and says it would raise housing aid thresholds for senior renters, apply rent controls to assisted living, and increase publicly funded long-term care beds.
The Conservative Party of BC published a Metro Vancouver platform on October 5 and says a Conservative government would shrink the regional board, restrict its functions, and conduct a full audit of its finances.
An Angus Reid survey of 1,013 BC residents conducted October 1 to 3 shows the Conservative Party of BC at 48 per cent and the BC NDP at 43 per cent.
OneBC announced October 5 that Brent Chapman, who had joined the party after crossing the floor from the Conservatives, will not appear on the ballot in Surrey South.
Emily Lowan announced the Fair Share Act in Victoria on October 5, a BC Greens plan to tax net wealth above $50 million and use the money for childcare, transit, housing and debt reduction.
The BC Green Party published a forestry plan on October 4 that would end raw-log exports, permanently protect old-growth forests, and shift 30 to 50 per cent of available fibre to value-added manufacturing.
David Eby announced in Oak Bay on October 5 that a re-elected NDP government would invest $90 million to redevelop the former Oak Bay Lodge property into a community health and seniors care hub.
The Conservative Party of BC published a page on October 5 citing Amanda Burrows' public statements about police funding, calling her views radical. Burrows and the NDP have not responded to the Conservative characterization.
Lorne Doerkson announced in 100 Mile House on October 5 that a Conservative government would invest $50 million to hire and retain medical staff, aiming to end unplanned ER closures.
Gordon Skulnec, a retired RCMP officer and former medical radiographer from Cranbrook, is the Conservative Party of BC candidate in Kootenay Central for the October 24 provincial election.
Elections BC confirmed Adila Shaukat as the BC NDP candidate in Chilliwack North on October 3. She holds a doctorate in evolutionary biology and worked as a constituency assistant to the late NDP MLA Dan Coulter.
David Eby's party published a plan on October 4 to add three new income tax brackets affecting earners above $190,405, with the highest rate of 24.5 per cent applying to income over $1 million.
The Conservative Party of BC published a statement on October 5 opposing the NDP's proposed income tax changes, which would raise rates for earners above $190,405.
BC NDP incumbent MLA Brittny Anderson confirmed on October 2 that she will seek a third term representing Kootenay Central in the October 24 provincial election.
The BC NDP has chosen Jason Leboe, a utilities operator and labour council secretary-treasurer from Hope, to run in Fraser-Nicola in the October 24 provincial election.
Reader Gary Blisia compares David Eby's October 2 grocery price promise with his record since 2022: one-time credits, a cancelled $1,000 rebate, a tax rise.
The BC Green Party published a plan on October 2 to restrict foreign and corporate ownership of farmland, set up a public land bank for farmers, and let local governments tax land that is not being farmed.
David Eby announced a plan on October 2 that would cap profit margins on essential foods and open a wholesale food terminal in the Lower Mainland, which the party says would save families up to $700 a year.
The North Delta Reporter reports that Garry Thind is running for the BC Conservatives in Surrey-Guildford while still listed on the Surrey school board trustee ballot for the October 17 civic election, because the provincial snap election call came after the withdrawal deadline.
The BC Green Party published a platform on October 2 calling for a moratorium on new artificial intelligence data centres in BC and a ban on AI workplace surveillance, among eight specific commitments.
BC NDP leader David Eby said Friday he will not create a new annual fee on registered vehicles in Metro Vancouver, after a radio report said the idea had been under discussion before the election call.
The BC Green Party has named Lisa Lapointe, who served as the province's chief coroner for more than a decade, as its candidate in the Saanich South riding on Vancouver Island.
Columbia River-Revelstoke MLA Scott McInnis rejoined the Conservative Party of BC on September 21, a day before Premier David Eby called the provincial election, after spending about two and a half weeks as an independent.
BC Conservative incumbent Tony Luck, who won Fraser-Nicola by more than 10,000 votes in 2024, launched his re-election campaign at the Country Music Hall of Honour in Merritt on September 30.
Sara Lopez of Campbell River, Executive Director of the Campbell River Art Gallery and Habitat for Humanity advocate, has announced her candidacy for BC NDP in the North Island riding.
The BC NDP has named Mike Wisla for Kamloops Centre and Kory Clark for Kamloops-North Thompson in the October 24 provincial election, both challenging Conservative incumbents.
Tina Lee, who finished 300 votes behind the winner in 2024, has been confirmed as the BC NDP candidate for Penticton-Summerland in the October 24 provincial election.
Kathryn Askew of Canim Lake, a retired teacher with 32 years in the classroom, will run for the BC NDP in Cariboo-Chilcotin against interim Conservative leader Lorne Doerkson.
BC Conservative leader Lorne Doerkson says his party supports a second pipeline from northern Alberta to BC's southern coast, welcoming the federal decision to designate the Pacific Link pipeline a project of national interest.
The BC Conservatives announced Tracy St. Claire, head of the South Okanagan Similkameen Division of Family Practice, as their candidate in Penticton-Summerland for the October 24 election.
The BC Green Party announced Patrick Michell, a retired First Nations chief, as its candidate in the Fraser-Nicola riding for the October 24 election.
An Ipsos poll conducted Sept. 25 to 29 for Global News found BC Conservative support up seven points and BC NDP support down five compared to two weeks earlier.
David Eby announced on Oct. 1 that a BC NDP government would suspend a portion of the provincial motor fuel tax and give the BC Utilities Commission powers to cap fuel supplier markups.
Elections BC lists 43 NDP candidates and 32 Conservative candidates so far. Nominations close October 3. Smaller parties remain in single digits.
Nominations close October 3 at 1 p.m. Advance voting runs October 16 to 21. Election day is Saturday, October 24.
The BC NDP announced on September 22 that Jinny Sims, a former MP and former provincial cabinet minister, will be its candidate in the Surrey-Panorama riding for the October 24 election.
BC Conservative interim leader Lorne Doerkson said on September 22 that he would repeal BC's law aligning provincial rules with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, calling that his first priority if elected on October 24.
Sitting MLA Amelia Boultbee says she cannot raise the resources needed to give the BC NDP a fair contest in Penticton-Summerland, and is stepping aside before the October 24 election.
Lorne Doerkson announced on September 29 that a Conservative government would remove the provincial sales tax on Canadian beer, wine and spirits at the till, saying the commitment will last as long as US tariffs on Canadian goods remain.
A Liaison Strategies poll of 1,000 British Columbians conducted September 26-27 shows the Conservative Party of BC at 40% and the BC NDP at 39% among decided and leaning voters, with the Greens at 11%.
Conservative candidate Claire Rattée issued a statement on September 29 welcoming the final investment decision on LNG Canada Phase 2 and calling for a plan to more than double natural gas production by 2032 and triple it by 2035.
A Leger survey of 1,003 British Columbia adults conducted September 24-28 shows the Conservative Party of BC leading the BC NDP by three points among decided voters, with the BC Greens at 13%.
BC Green Party leader Emily Lowan announced on September 29 that a Green government would tie rent increases to individual units rather than tenants, and end blanket no-pet clauses in rental housing.
The Conservative Party of BC named candidates for all ten Surrey-area ridings on September 29, ahead of the October 3 nomination deadline.
The BC NDP has nominated Jesse Gervais, Director of Community Services for the District of Fraser Lake, to run in the Nechako Lakes riding for the October 24 provincial election.
Outgoing Cranbrook City Councillor Norma Blissett announced on September 29 that she will seek the Kootenay-Rockies seat for the BC NDP in the October 24 provincial election.