BC NDP promises to double provincial library funding from $14M to $28M per year

On October 7, 2026, three BC NDP candidates announced that a re-elected NDP government would permanently double the province's annual funding for public libraries. According to the Abbotsford News report, citing the Comox Valley Record, annual provincial funding would rise from $14 million to $28 million per year. The three candidates who made the announcement were Sara Lopez (North Island), Will Cole-Hamilton (Courtenay-Comox), and Christine Boyle (Vancouver-Little Mountain).

The Abbotsford News report, citing the Comox Valley Record, says provincial funding for public libraries was frozen at $14 million in 2010. In 2022, the BC NDP government provided $8 million in additional grants and committed a further $45 million over three years in 2023. However, those extra commitments have expired, and the annual provincial grant has returned to $14 million. The new promise is to permanently double the base funding to $28 million per year.

According to the Abbotsford News report on October 7, 2026, B.C. has 71 public library systems. The BC NDP says the permanent funding increase would help those systems respond to community needs. The party says this includes staying open for longer hours and more days, expanding digital collections, and providing more free programs for families, seniors, and people looking for work.

The BC NDP's October 7, 2026 platform announcement, as reported by Abbotsford News, lists several uses for the increased funding. The party says libraries could stay open for longer hours and additional days, expand their digital collections, provide more free community and literacy programs, expand free access to high-speed Wi-Fi and computers, and offer more learning opportunities. These are the party's stated goals for the funding and have not been independently costed.

The announcement was made outside the Courtenay branch of the Vancouver Island Regional Library on October 7, 2026. According to the Abbotsford News report, the three candidates present were Sara Lopez, the BC NDP candidate for North Island; Will Cole-Hamilton, the BC NDP candidate for Courtenay-Comox; and Christine Boyle, the incumbent MLA for Vancouver-Little Mountain running for re-election with the BC NDP. Two library trustees also attended: Nicole Minions and Wendy Morin.

No. This is a campaign promise made on October 7, 2026, seventeen days before the provincial election on October 24. The BC NDP would need to win the election and then pass a budget that includes the increased funding. The BC NDP has been in government since 2017, but the permanent doubling of library funding to $28 million per year is a new commitment and has not been introduced in a budget.

According to the Abbotsford News report, Sara Lopez said libraries are places where people come together to learn, connect, and access resources they may not be able to afford on their own, and that this includes families, seniors, students, and people looking for work. Will Cole-Hamilton said libraries help people access information and entertainment that is increasingly behind a paywall, and that access to knowledge should not depend on how much money a person has. These are statements attributed to each candidate in the October 7, 2026 report.

Voting day is Saturday, October 24, 2026. Advance voting runs from October 16 to October 21, 2026. You can find your voting place, check whether you are registered, and get information on voting by mail at /bc/provincial-2026/where-to-vote. If you are not yet registered to vote, you can register in advance or register at your voting place on election day.