Day 13 in 30 seconds
- BC NDP: David Eby announced a 2027 higher-income-tax package: 18.8% on taxable income from $190,405-$265,545, 22.5% from $265,545-$1 million, and a new 24.5% rate above $1 million. The party projects up to $1 billion a year by 2028/29; the Conservatives rejected the plan. [2][3][4]
- BC Greens: Emily Lowan released forestry and seniors plans, including regional forest planning, an end to raw-log exports, old-growth protection, higher SAFER thresholds, assisted-living vacancy control, and more publicly funded long-term care. [5][6]
- Election administration: Elections BC finalized 355 candidates: Conservatives 93, NDP 92, Greens 73, CentreBC 35 and OneBC 33, plus 15 independent or unaffiliated candidates. [1]
What changed on Day 13
| AREA | CONFIRMED DEVELOPMENT |
|---|---|
| BC NDP | On October 4, Eby proposed raising the top two existing provincial marginal income-tax rates by two percentage points and creating a 24.5% bracket above $1 million, effective for the 2027 tax year. The party projects $225M in 2026/27, $925M in 2027/28 and $1.0B in 2028/29 in added revenue, framed around funding health care and other public services. [2][3] |
| BC Conservatives | The party rejected the NDP tax plan on October 4, reiterated a no-new-taxes commitment, and argued the higher top rates could make physician recruitment harder. That recruitment effect is a campaign claim, not an independently established outcome. Elections BC also confirmed a full 93-candidate Conservative slate. [1][4] |
| BC Greens | Two October 4 policy releases: a forestry plan rejecting the proposed 45-million-cubic-metre harvest objective, ending raw-log exports and protecting big-treed old growth; and a seniors plan raising SAFER thresholds to $48,000 for singles / $53,000 for couples, applying vacancy control to assisted living, and expanding publicly funded long-term care. [5][6] |
| Election admin. | Elections BC published the final candidate list after nominations closed October 3 at 1 p.m.: 355 candidates total, including 340 representing 10 registered parties and 15 independent or unaffiliated candidates. [1] |
| Provincial-local | Lumby Mayor Kevin Acton, also the Conservative candidate in Vernon-Lumby, said October 4 that he will remain in the October 17 mayoral race. He said that if he wins provincially and a mayoral byelection follows, he would donate the estimated $5,000-$10,000 cost. [8] |
| CentreBC / OneBC | No material Day 13 leadership change, MLA switch or new province-wide policy announcement was identified by the cutoff. The final official slate is 35 CentreBC candidates and 33 OneBC candidates. [1] |
Campaign framing at close of Day 13
BC NDP - The party put health-care financing and tax progressivity at the centre of Day 13, arguing that higher earners should contribute more while marginal rates below $190,405 remain unchanged. [2][3]
BC Conservatives - The party emphasized its full 93-riding slate and used the NDP tax announcement to sharpen its no-new-taxes contrast. Its claim that the plan would drive doctors away remains partisan campaign framing. [1][4]
BC Greens - The Greens used two detailed policy releases to foreground forestry restructuring, old-growth protection, seniors affordability and public care capacity. [5][6]
CentreBC - No substantive Day 13 leadership, caucus or province-wide policy announcement was located. The party enters the post-nomination phase with 35 candidates on the final ballot. [1]
OneBC - No substantive Day 13 leadership, caucus or province-wide policy announcement was located. The final Elections BC list contains 33 OneBC candidates. [1]
Election clock
| DATE | MILESTONE |
|---|---|
| OCT 4 | Elections BC published the final provincial candidate list: 355 candidates. [1] |
| OCT 16-21 | Provincial advance voting, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. local time. [1] |
| OCT 17 | General local elections across B.C. - a separate election with separate administration. [9] |
| OCT 24 | Final Voting Day for the provincial election, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Pacific. [1] |
Polling: no new Day 13 release
No new province-wide public poll was identified on October 4 by the cutoff. The latest remains Ipsos, released October 1: Conservatives 42%, NDP 40%, Greens 10%, OneBC 3%, CentreBC 3% and others 2% among decided voters. Ipsos described the two-point Conservative-NDP gap as a statistical tie. The survey was fielded September 25-29 among 1,001 B.C. adults in an online panel and weighted to population characteristics; Ipsos reports a +/-3.7-point credibility interval for the full sample, 19 times out of 20. Because it is an online panel, that interval is not the same as a conventional random-sample margin of error, and the fieldwork predates both the October 3 nomination deadline and Day 13 policy announcements. [7]
Provincial-local election overlap
The clearest new crossover on Day 13 was in Vernon-Lumby. Lumby Mayor Kevin Acton is simultaneously seeking municipal re-election on October 17 and running provincially for the Conservatives on October 24. On October 4, Acton said he would stay in the mayoral race rather than leave challenger Brad Weston unopposed; he also said that if a provincial win leads to a mayoral byelection, he would donate the estimated $5,000-$10,000 cost. This is Acton's stated commitment, not an Elections BC requirement. [8][9]
What to watch on Day 14
- Further costing or implementation detail on the NDP income-tax proposal, and responses from health, business and tax-policy stakeholders.
- Whether the Conservatives pair their no-new-taxes contrast with additional detail on health-care funding and deficit reduction.
- Continued Green platform rollout, especially how the forestry plan is received in resource-dependent communities and by First Nations and industry groups.
- Post-nomination strategy from CentreBC and OneBC now that the ballots are fixed at 35 and 33 candidates respectively.
- Any new province-wide polling conducted after nominations closed, which would better reflect the final ballot and the latest policy announcements.
Scope note: Public-source monitoring through approximately 8:30 p.m. Pacific, Sunday, October 4. Confirmed developments are based on official election/party material and named news reporting; campaign assertions are attributed as such. No unconfirmed report is presented as fact. This brief does not endorse, oppose, rank, score, or recommend any party, leader, candidate, or electoral choice.
Sources
- Elections BC. Candidates Finalized for British Columbia's 44th Provincial General Election (Oct. 4, 2026).
- The Canadian Press / Global News. B.C.'s Eby promises new tax on millionaires to help pay for health care (Oct. 4, 2026).
- Indo-Canadian Voice. Eby says he will ask wealthy to pitch in a bit more - detailed tax thresholds and revenue projections (Oct. 4, 2026).
- Conservative Party of British Columbia. Conservative Party of BC Respond to New Eby Doctor Tax (Oct. 4, 2026).
- BC Green Party. BC Greens announce plan to reform forestry sector, protecting forests, jobs, and communities (Oct. 4, 2026).
- BC Green Party. BC Greens announce plan to support seniors (Oct. 4, 2026).
- Ipsos. BC Conservative Support Rallies Without Kerry-Lynne Findlay (Oct. 1, 2026; fieldwork Sept. 25-29).
- iNFOnews. Acton not dropping out of Lumby mayoral race so challenger isn't acclaimed (Oct. 4, 2026).
- Elections BC. 2026 General Local Elections - October 17, 2026 (current).