Friday marked day 11 on the election campaign trail and BC NDP leader David Eby was in Kelowna for an announcement.
With a Jim Pattison Group-owned Save-on-Foods in the background, Eby said his party will work to keep grocery prices down.
“In this announcement, don’t worry about Save-On-Foods, don’t worry about Jimmy, he’s going to land on his feet, but we have to take steps to make sure families are protected at this time,” Eby said.
Eby said that the BC NDP will use a “price guard” to cap profit margins on essentials like milk, eggs, cheese, butter, and poultry.
The proposal also outlines mandating clear per-unit pricing to combat shrinkflation, ban real estate controls that block competition grocery stores, in the long-term and work with the federal government to open an independent food terminal in the Lower Mainland for local farmers and smaller grocers.
In September 2024, Eby promised relief for grocery bills in the form of $1,000 per household.
In February 2025, then-finance minister Brenda Bailey said that government could not pay the so-called “grocery rebate” because of the provincial deficit.
Eby is now facing a $13.8 billion budget deficit, but is promising a 10 cent a litre cut on gas and diesel.
BC Conservative leader Lorne Doerkson visited a family whose Summerland home was destroyed by the Bald Range wildfire in the summer.
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He announced the Wildfire Action Plan, including buying a fleet of firefighting aircraft and promising better handling of B.C.’s economy, and said he would not be cutting services.
“I think what we’ve announced today is an investment in our province of a half a billion dollars and you know the reality has been that the money that we are spending on wildfire in this province is a staggering number and if we don’t turn a corner to invest in this in a way that we can, in a future date, lower some of that investment, I think that we’re on a very dangerous path that is going to cost us more than this plan certainly suggests today,” Doerkson said.
The BC Conservatives are also promising a freeze on all taxes and a temporary cut to the 10 per cent PST on Canadian alcohol, which is about $250 million a year in lost revenue.
“At some point, new money has to appear and you need a good story about where that’s coming from and it can’t just be through efficiencies and undefined growth,” Stewart Prest, a lecturer in political science at the University of British Columbia, told Global News.
“It needs to be a little more concrete than that.”
The BC Greens announced its platform to take on “Big Tech” and protect British Columbians from the risk of artificial intelligence.
“In June of 2025, the girl who would commit the horrific Tumbler Ridge shooting was instructed by ChatGPT on how to avoid tripping its violence sensors, receiving advice for months on how to carry out her appalling attack,” said leader Emily Lowan. “She asked how to most effectively use her weapon: ChatGPT responded ‘close quarters is its playground’.”
“We still don’t know how OpenAI missed these overt warning signs, because OpenAI has refused to disclose it. AI executives themselves have expressed fear at the product they’re creating, and we know they won’t regulate themselves. That’s when it’s government’s job to step in and hold these corporations accountable.”
The BC Greens said they will put a moratorium on the construction and operation of AI data centres until a detailed public-interest audit is developed and appropriate regulatory regime implemented.
They will work with the federal government to create an independent AI oversight commission so that it is properly tested for safety and regulated and develop province-wide directions on the safe and ethical use of artificial intelligence without allowing it in classrooms until a plan is put in place.
Rather an asteroid slam into BC than NDP anyday
Its wonderfull that there are those that donate a lot of money, but where did they get all that money, do they have a money tree in the backyard
Oh, yeah, price controls! Because that has worked SO WELL everywhere it’s been tried. Eby’s comments about Pattison are straight out of Atlas Shrugged. What. An. Idiot.
The socialist/communist is at it again.
Hope BCers learn this time!
Sophie where do you get your info from must be NDP. the CONS. do not have MAGA style policies. you should do some reading.
The CONs should move into the woods. No one likes being around them, so the fires might also keep away! That way they might do some good, as opposed to whatever they normally do!
AL: It’s the better of 2 evils. The alternative is to destroy the Province with MAGA style policies from which we would not recover. Optimally, I would like for Eby to step down and turn the reins over to someone with substance. I am a senior and cannot die seeing my province and Country fall. Let’s be strategic about this. It’s the only hand we have at this time.
Sophie; you’d actually vote for someone hoping his promises will be kept this time. That’s nonsensical.
I can’t imagine how low the bar is for life expectations for people considering voting the NDP in again.
Eby is all talk no action just remember last election, don’t want more of the same. Cons. are the best choice for health care, crime, land rights, afford ability just a few.
The Conservatives will cut programs, just watch, meanwhile they want to spend more on something that won’t necessarily do anything about affordability issues right now. I hope Eby’s promises will be kept this time and his plans for groceries just don’t cut the bottomline for Companies but actually have a REAL effect on prices. I hope he has a new budget manger because the last one did a horrible job which affected the most vulnerable most while doing nothing about increasing taxes on the rich.
Nobody believes the NDP because all these things they’re saying they’ll do, they could have done already with their existing Majority. That and I guess they ran up the biggest deficit in BC history. Oh, and sold away everyone’s land to the chugs with DRIPA. And everything is so expensive and healthcare sucks. Did you guys know 2025 was the first time in history that the BC population actually dropped – people left! But this is all Trump’s fault right??? Hahahahah
Well, No1 NAZl Doug Brekfaust just sold me on “The BC NAZl MAGA Party”.
Thanks JV!
Green leader Emily Lowan thinks a “girl” committed those acts of violence in Tumbler Ridge…Emily is a virtue signalling idiot…
Easy way to tell if you’re a boy or girl…look down your pants and if you have a penis, you’re a boy and if you have a vagina, you’re a girl…
Yes, the NDP put on price controls. This then follows product shortages as the stores no longer stock stuff that they can get more for in other provinces.
This is nothing new.
Should have been done years ago, donations don’t do much for the average shopper, if Pattison wants to donate do it in the stores for the customers
never trust the NDP to keep promises
OneBC
The BC NAZl MAGA Party
• Spreading racist lies about First Nations
• Spreading misinformation about DRlPA and treaty rights
• Obsessed with residential school denialism
• Promoting conspiracy theories
• Supporting white nationalism
• Normalizing hate speech towards immigrants and LGTBQ
• Plans to privatize healthcare
• No official party status
• No clear plan for BC other than hate and racism
Another dumb pitch by Eby who won’t follow through with any of his promises. Can’t control gas prices and won’t be able to control grocery prices.
Hopefully, the voting public will see this and vote against him.
Eby is a typical Marxist. The higher price of diesel is the cause of inflation, not, as he no doubt sees it, “capitalist swine”.
Gratitude. Jim Pattison turned 98 the day before this tastless and empty campaign promise. Eby is ignorant to the countless families, employees and patients that are supported through The Jim Pattison Group. Thank you Jimmy for everything you do.
“Eby said that the BC NDP will use a “price guard” to cap profit margins on essentials like milk, eggs, cheese, butter, and poultry.”
If farmers cannot make a profit does Eby think they will just continue farming at a lose?
“The BC Greens said they will put a moratorium on the construction and operation of AI data centres”
Well I guess our medical and pharmaceutical researchers can use AI companies in the USA to find medical breakthroughs. Elbows Up everyone!
I hope Ebyozo gets absolutely torpedoed in this election. Split in half and sunk.
Then the Conservatives swing hard to the right,bust open B.C.s full industry potential and trash the DRIPA nonsense!
The 2024 Campaign Promise: David
Eby ran on a signature pledge to provide a direct $1,000 rebate to the average B.C. household, which was widely discussed as a grocery and cost-of-living relief measure.
• Why It Was Canceled: In February 2025, the provincial government announced it could not issue the payout due to the ongoing provincial deficit. Then-finance minister Brenda Bailey stated that the funds were unavailable to support the rebate.
Still waiting for my thousand dollar. He’s full of it
Wow….. is this the best that the NDP can offer… slagging Mr. Pattison is a truly moronic gesture.
Didn’t Stalin try this too?
Hahaha
Using tactics straight of Trumps play book!
Buying votes.
Why did Eby not do this a while ago he’s full of B.S.