Your Guide to Tyee BC Election Coverage

This provincial election has brought uncertainty, excitement, dread, and dozens of Tyee stories.

Over the past month, we’ve done our best to sort through platforms, explain the issues, profile important characters, hold the parties accountable and make sense of what, to many, has been a head-scratching election. The depth of coverage, much of which occurred while we were also writing about the province’s civic elections, was possible only thanks to the financial support of our readers.

As general election day arrives Saturday, it’s time to vote. We’ve collected all our stories in one spot below, to help readers make final decisions and process what comes next.

If you plan on voting Saturday, you can find polling locations near you through Elections BC’s online app. Although you may have an assigned location, you can cast a ballot at whichever voting place is most convenient to you.

Unlike in the civic election, you can vote just by showing your B.C. driver’s licence, B.C. identification card, B.C. Services Card with photo, Certificate of Indian Status or any other provincial or federal ID card with your name, photo and address. If you lack government photo ID, you can show two pieces of ID with your name, as long as one has your current address. You can also have a family member in your electoral district vouch for you. More details on voter ID are available online.

Polling stations open at 8 a.m. Pacific time and close at 8 p.m. Results will start to be released soon after the close of polls. The Tyee will have coverage of the results, the reaction and the implications Saturday night. We’ll have further analysis Sunday and Monday.

Voters will elect 93 MLAs, meaning a party will need 47 seats to form government. If no party reaches that threshold, negotiations between the parties and leaders will likely be required to settle who can gain the confidence of the house.

Democracy beckons.

WHERE PARTIES STAND ON KEY ISSUES

What BC’s Parties Are Promising on Health-Care Access
The NDP commit to hiring and expansion. The Conservatives are offering private vouchers. The Greens want community health clinics. By Tyler Olsen

The DRIPA Factor and BC’s Election
How the parties are dealing with Indigenous relations. By Andrew MacLeod

Looking at the Election Promises on Saving Forestry Jobs
A union for BC mill workers says the NDP’s plan will help save jobs but doesn’t go far enough. By Isaac Phan Nay

SOGI School Resources Are Back as an Election Issue
The BC Conservatives pledge to remove the LGBTQ2S+ learning materials while the NDP quietly cut funding. By Katie Hyslop

Where the Parties Stand on Drugs and Crime
The NDP and Conservatives want to tackle street disorder. The Greens call for following the evidence on harm reduction. By Michelle Gamage

BC’s Parties Have Little to Say on Flood and Fire Prevention
Despite wildfires, floods and heat domes, campaigns have made few commitments on mitigating future disasters. By Grace Kennedy

BC Party Platforms in the Age of Flash-Mob Politics
Looking for a solid place to land politically? Here’s what the five parties say they stand for. By Crawford Kilian

The Tyee Podcast: What’s This Provincial Election About?
Victoria bureau chief Andrew MacLeod breaks down the issues and what’s at stake. By Isaac Phan Nay

PARTY LEADERS PROFILED

Can David Eby Find a Way Back?
BC’s premier seemed trapped by DRIPA, deficit and disappointed activists. Carney opened a new door. By Andrew MacLeod

Can Lorne Doerkson Become the Accidental Premier?
A look at the former rodeo rider’s chances of taming the BC Conservatives. By Steve Burgess

Emily Lowan on Electoral Reform, Resource Extraction and More
Green leader rejects Eby’s late-campaign argument against vote-splitting. By Andrew MacLeod

RACISM, HATE AND EXTREMISM

Why Extreme Ideas Are Still a BC Conservative Problem
Interim leader Lorne Doerkson has fired two candidates. Critics say he needs to do more. By Jen St. Denis

‘No Excuse’: Doerkson Fires Conservative Candidate
Bigoted social media posts, some celebrating Trump, Musk and other right-wing leaders, prompted the action. By Andrew MacLeod

Queer Organizations Sound Alarm over Conservative Anti-Trans Rhetoric
MLAs have tried to pass legislation that would strip away human rights and limit access to health care. By Michelle Gamage

Masked Group in Kamloops Sparks Alarm and Racism Fears
‘I don’t want these people in my neighbourhood, in my city, in my country.’ By Jen St. Denis

BC ECONOMY AND FINANCES

Why BC’s Economy Is a Strong Card for Eby’s NDP
For wages, incomes, growth, investment and more, BC has outpaced most other provinces in recent years. By Jim Stanford

Which Side Are You On? Eby’s Election Moment
Taxing the rich could be the defining issue of this campaign. By Paul Willcocks

NDP and Conservative Campaigns Both Rely on Budget ‘Magical Thinking’
The parties have released costed platforms that experts say are fantastical. By Andrew MacLeod

How BC Conservatives Learned to Love Deficits
A close look at the platforms shows the NDP is opting for a more cautious approach. Jim Stanford

How Much Will Voters Care About BC’s Deficits?
We asked economists to explain how we got here and the consequences for the province’s economy. By Isaac Phan Nay

LABOUR AND INDUSTRY

Unions Call on Next Government to Build Ferries In BC
All three major parties have some form of commitment to insource shipbuilding. By Isaac Phan Nay

AGRICULTURE

How the ALR’s Future Is Becoming an Election Issue
Critics oppose allowing more industrial food processing on protected farmland. By Andrew MacLeod

What BC Farmers Are Asking for This Election
With some of the highest land costs in Canada, BC growers say they need more farmland protected to keep local food affordable. By Sukhmani Sandhu

THE CLIMATE CRISIS

BC Needs a Real Climate Action Plan
After pressing the province for five years, we’re still coming up short. By Emiko Newman, Tracey Saxby and Isabel Siu-Zmuidzinas

DRIPA AND RECONCILIATION

OK, Lorne, You’ll Repeal DRIPA. Then What?
Businesses, citizens and First Nations in BC all want certainty. We’ll get that only through better implementation of existing legislation. By Adam Olsen

HEALTH

People Are Dying of Heart Attacks at Nanaimo’s Outdated Hospital
The province has dragged its feet on long-promised upgrades, meaning patients are being treated with ‘20th-century medicine.’ By Michelle Gamage

Why Grand Forks Has Put Money into Health Care
It’s a provincial duty, but some BC towns have started funding local medical clinics. Where does this lead? By Tyler Olsen

FERRIES AND TRANSIT

Why Is Public Transit a Phantom Election Issue?
It’s a popular policy measure that wins votes. But the leading provincial parties haven’t come out strong on the issue. By Denis Agar

BC Ferries Heads to $1.3-Billion Deal with US-Owned Fuel Supplier
Despite Eby’s ‘buy Canadian’ focus, a firm with MAGA connections is the likely contract winner. Andrew MacLeod 

A SNAP ELECTION’S TWISTS AND TURNS

Here’s Where the BC Election Will Be Won or Lost
A small number of battleground ridings are key for the three main parties. By Andrew MacLeod

Will the BC Greens’ ‘Experiment’ Pay Off?
The party’s new leader and left-wing direction will be put to the test this election. By Hugh Chan

Leaders Battle over BC’s Future in TV Debate
Eby challenged on snap election; Doerkson on lack of a financial plan. By Andrew MacLeod

Eby Criticized for Taking a Spot in Limited $10-a-Day Child Care
Conservatives have yet to release a child-care policy while Greens have big plans. By Andrew MacLeod

Doerkson Stumbles into First Campaign Crisis with Secret ICBC Promises
The NDP is quick to warn of a hidden agenda from BC Conservatives. By Paul Willcocks

BC Conservatives Shun Dallas Brodie and OneBC
But CentreBC Leader Elenore Sturko still has questions. By Jen St. Denis

Andrew Weaver Is Back as a CentreBC Candidate
The former MLA also praised Green Leader Emily Lowan, who is running in Saanich North. By Andrew MacLeod

This Is Not the Election David Eby Wanted
The NDP thought it had attacked a vulnerable foe. That’s proving a big mistake. By Paul Willcocks

Did David Eby Make a Big Mistake?
New poll shows Conservatives ahead and doubts about the need for an election. By Andrew MacLeod

Please Advise! Did We Need This Election?
Of course not, says Dr. Steve. But sit back and enjoy the show. By Steve Burgess

It’s On! Opposition Scrambles as Eby Calls Election
NDP to run on the need for a mandate to battle Trump tariff challenges. By Andrew MacLeod 

After Findlay, What Comes Next?
Mostly chaos. But also an ethics test for Eby as he weighs a snap election. By Paul Willcocks

Findlay Quits as Upheaval Brings BC to Brink of Election
How Conservative disarray and speculation of a snap vote have quickly reshaped the province’s political landscape. By Andrew MacLeod 

TWIN ELECTIONS VOTER EXPLAINER

Voting on Saturday? Make Sure It’s the Right Poll
Some voting locations will host both municipal elections and provincial advance polls. By Grace Kennedy

MEDIA CULTURE

Our Parasocial Relationship with Politicians
With jokes, music and reels, provincial candidates are striving to endear themselves to voters during a helter-skelter snap election. By Jackie Wong