B.C. election 2020: Party leaders to focus on swing ridings with 3 days until campaigns end

BC NDP Leader John Horgan will be covering a lot of ground on Wednesday in an attempt to pick up some seats.

Horgan will be travelling to swing ridings in Abbotsford, Langley and Richmond with just three days left on the campaign trail.

The NDP leader will be focusing on health care spending and managing during a pandemic. Multiple polls have shown British Columbians are uncomfortable with the idea of changing government in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis.

Horgan has been widely praised for his handling of the pandemic, although critics are quick to point out there have been deadly outbreaks in long-term care and concerns about the back-to-school plan under his watch.

The NDP platform outlines a number of measures linked to managing the pandemic. Horgan has promised to make the COVID-19 vaccine free to anyone who wants it. The BC Liberals have made the same promise.

Horgan is committing to continuing with the $1.6-billion preparedness plan announced before the election was called, including the hiring of 7,000 new front-line health-care workers in long-term care and assisted living. The NDP is also committed to continue developing a pandemic prevention plan that it says will bring state-of-the-art testing, contact tracing, and hospital management procedures and technology to B.C.

1:22 New poll shows B.C. election race getting tighter

BC Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson will be heading to Surrey and North Delta. Wilkinson will be holding an event with Surrey candidates with the hope of holding onto Surrey-Cloverdale while threatening NDP-held seats in Surrey-Guildford and Surrey-Fleetwood.

Wilkinson will be focusing the day on opening up ICBC for competition, his party’s planned PST cut for small businesses and replacing the aging Massey Tunnel as quickly as possible with a 10-lane bridge.

The Liberals are promising to reduce insurance rates for young drivers by giving all new drivers credit for up to four years of driving experience when they demonstrate safe driving habits. The party says it will also give drivers the choice to purchase auto insurance from either the private market (traditional system) or ICBC (no-fault system).

7:05 BC Greens leader Sonia Furstenau on final campaign drive before this week’s election

BC Green Party Leader Sonia Furstenau will be in Shawnigan Lake in her riding of Cowichan Valley. Furstenau is being challenged by NDP candidate Rob Douglas.

Furstenau is hoping her profile as leader will help in her bid to hold onto her seat.

The Green leader will be focusing on school and the party’s pandemic school plan. The party has promised to maintain additional COVID-19-era funding for personal protective equipment and online learning throughout this school year, and into the 2020/2021 school year as required.

The plan also ensures every school district has the resources to develop credible and robust remote learning and hybrid learning options.