B.C. Municipalities Urge Eby to Hold Provincial Election After Local Vote

British Columbia’s political scene is heating up amid signals from Premier David Eby that an early provincial election could be called.

Amid the uncertainty, Union of B.C. Municipalities president Cory Ramsay is calling for any potential mid-term provincial election to be held only after the municipal elections are completed.

Ramsay noted that local elections are scheduled for Oct. 17, with campaigning beginning Sept. 19 across 188 communities. He warned that calling a provincial election during the municipal campaign could distract more than 3,500 local candidates and residents from key issues in their communities.

He also said that even if the provincial and municipal voting dates are different, advance voting periods and election advertising could overlap, which would not be in the best interests of democracy or voters.

Ramsay said the four-year election cycles were staggered under provincial law specifically to prevent the two elections from taking place at the same time. He argued that the time gap between provincial and local government elections should therefore be maintained.