Election 2026: Campaign Roundup - Day 29

Welcome to Day 29 of our British Columbia 2026 Campaign Roundup!

We're bringing you daily updates on all the policy proclamations, platform promises, and political point-scoring from the campaign trail.

As always, our work is entirely funded by donations from British Columbians just like you, so if you appreciate the updates, please consider making a one-off donation or signing up as a supporter for just $10 a month - that's just 36 cents per email!

Campaign Roundup - Day 29:

• Advance voting in BC is down about 8% compared to the last provincial election, with approximately 440,000 ballots cast during the first three days, compared to nearly 480,000 in 2024. That election set a record for advance voting, with more than one million ballots cast early. Advance voting continues through Tuesday, ahead of final voting day on Saturday, October 24th.
  
  
• The latest Angus Reid Institute poll shows the BC Conservatives leading the NDP by 46% to 43% as the election enters its final days, down from an eight-point Conservative lead earlier in October. Conservative voters also appear more committed, with 73% very certain of their choice compared to 54% of NDP voters. On leadership, Conservative interim leader Lorne Doerkson narrowly leads David Eby as the best choice for Premier, 36% to 34%.
  
  
• OneBC has released a policy proposing a provincial Gender Ideology Task Force to coordinate changes to BC laws and policies. Its proposals include removing gender identity and gender expression as protected grounds under the BC Human Rights Code, restricting gender identity instruction and social transition in schools, limiting participation in female sports and access to single-sex spaces based on biological sex, banning gender-related medical interventions for those under 19, and requiring government identification to record biological sex. The party says the measures would prioritize sex-based rights, child safeguarding, and parental authority.
  
  
• The BC Conservatives have unveiled a forestry plan focused on predictable timber access, faster permitting, lower costs and support for workers. The party proposes a 45-million-cubic-metre annual harvest floor, a streamlined permitting process, extending the BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund and resolving old-growth deferrals. Other commitments include expanding Indigenous participation in forestry, supporting value-added wood manufacturing, reducing wildfire risk through forest management, developing biomass and bioenergy hubs in Prince George and Kamloops, and prioritizing BC lumber in US trade negotiations and government-funded construction.
  
  
• BC NDP Leader David Eby has pledged $30 million to expand Kelowna General Hospital, including a permanent inpatient unit on the sixth floor to replace a temporary ward and increase bed capacity. The NDP says the project was already in the planning stages and would be funded by asking the top 3.88% of income earners to pay more.

Support Our Work:

The British Columbia Institute doesn't accept any government funding and never will. We think you should be free to choose, for yourself, which organizations to support. If you're in a position to contribute financially, you can make a donation here:

If you're not in a position to donate, we understand, but if you appreciate our work, you can help by spreading our message. Please forward this email to your friends, and help make sure every British Columbian knows what's going on in our province.