---
title: "BC Conservatives release Thriving Kids Plan at Delta event"
description: "BC Conservative leader Lorne Doerkson announced the party's Thriving Kids Plan on Oct. 18, with six new commitments for children's programs, school meals, and activity funding."
canonical_url: "https://voche.me/bc/provincial-2026/news/conservative-bc-thriving-kids-plan-october-2026"
last_updated: "2026-10-18T23:24:08.614Z"
---

BC Conservative leader [Lorne Doerkson](/bc/provincial-2026/candidates/lorne-doerkson) released the party's Thriving Kids Plan on October 18 at an outdoor media event in Delta, the North Delta Reporter reported. The plan has six commitments aimed at children's programs and school funding. Doerkson also told reporters that the party's fully costed election platform would be available later that same afternoon.

The event was held at the farm of Delta South Conservative candidate [Ian Paton](/bc/provincial-2026/candidates/ian-paton). Other candidates attending included Delta North's [Monica Mohan](/bc/provincial-2026/candidates/monica-mohan), Surrey-Guildford's [Garry Thind](/bc/provincial-2026/candidates/garry-thind), Surrey North's [Mandeep Singh Dhaliwal](/bc/provincial-2026/candidates/mandeep-singh-dhaliwal), and Surrey Panorama's [Bryan Tepper](/bc/provincial-2026/candidates/bryan-tepper).

**What the plan commits to**

The six items in the plan, as reported by the North Delta Reporter from Doerkson's announcement, are:

- A full ban on cellphones in schools. Doerkson said "no phones in school, full stop."
- Expanded school meal programs in high-need communities.
- A $500 refundable BC tax credit for sports, music, recreation, and art camp expenses. The party puts the cost of this credit at $500 per family; it has not published a full breakdown.
- Doubling the playground equipment program funding to $10 million a year, with a goal of replacing aging playgrounds at 50 schools per year. These targets are the party's own.
- Partnerships with municipalities to match their funding for sports and recreation facilities.
- Extending autism funding for families and reviewing changes the BC NDP made to ensure no family loses existing support.

"Too many kids start the school day hungry. Too many families are working harder than ever and still can't afford hockey, swimming, music, or summer camp. Too many schools have playgrounds that are falling apart, and parents spend years running bake sales to replace them. And too many classrooms have become a contest between the teacher and a cellular phone," Doerkson said at the event, according to the North Delta Reporter.

**The costed platform**

Doerkson said Sunday afternoon that the party's fully costed platform would be released later the same day. A reporter at the Delta event asked Doerkson about the timing. The advance voting period opened October 16 and advance voting runs to October 21.

**For voters**

Advance voting runs from October 16 to 21, 2026. General voting day is October 24. You can find BC Conservative candidate profiles at [/bc/provincial-2026/parties/conservative-party-of-bc](/bc/provincial-2026/parties/conservative-party-of-bc) and follow all party platforms at [/bc/provincial-2026/news](/bc/provincial-2026/news).

## Sitemap

See the full [sitemap](/bc/provincial-2026/sitemap.md) for all pages.