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EDITORIAL · ELECTION 2026 · THE BC NDP’S CAMPAIGN

BC NDP candidates, two of them cabinet ministers, took their campaigns into seniors’ care homes and a Grade 8 class. In our view, that’s playing dirty to drum up votes.

Anne Kang, a cabinet minister, posted a campaign message tagged #bcndp about her visit inside a Burnaby seniors’ residence. Garry Begg visited a Surrey long-term care home, then used it to attack the Conservatives. Nina Krieger, the Minister of Public Safety, posted about residents at a Saanich care campus and a Grade 8 class at Cedar Hill Middle School.

Backcountry Coalition ·

Between 13 and 16 October, three BC NDP candidates posted about visits inside homes for seniors in care, and one of them also posted about a Grade 8 class. Anne Kang, the Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport and the party’s candidate in Burnaby Centre, posted about Courtyard Terrace, a Burnaby assisted living residence, under the tags “#bcndp #burnabycentre”.123 Garry Begg, the party’s candidate in Surrey-Guildford, visited Guildford Seniors Village, a long-term care home, and the next day wrote that “The Conservatives would put our healthcare services at risk.”45 Nina Krieger, the Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General and the party’s candidate in Victoria-Swan Lake, posted about residents at Luther Court, a Saanich care campus, and about Grade 8 students at Cedar Hill Middle School.267

The last of those posts went up on 16 October, the day advance voting opened. Final voting day is 24 October.178 In our view, taking a campaign into homes where people live in care, some of them with dementia, and into a room of Grade 8 students who cannot vote and cannot leave, is playing dirty to drum up votes. These are the people least able to say no to a visiting cabinet minister and a campaign camera.

Begg, of all candidates, knows the risk. In 2025 he told a court that a Conservative worker had taken advantage of vulnerable care-home residents in his riding, CBC News reported.9 This month his own campaign posted from one. This piece sets out what each candidate posted, the written rules each visit runs up against, and the wider record of how the BC NDP has run this election.

01 Anne Kang, a cabinet minister seeking re-election, posted a campaign message tagged #bcndp about her visit inside a Burnaby seniors’ residence

The record

  • Anne Kang is the Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport and the BC NDP candidate for Burnaby Centre.23
  • She posted about the visit on Facebook and Instagram on 16 October, the day advance voting opened. The post is public and ends with “#bcndp #burnabycentre #strongertogether”.1
  • The post says “The BC NDP is committed to strengthening seniors’ care”, and it includes photos of her with residents inside the residence.1
  • Courtyard Terrace, at 3730 Burke Street, is an assisted living residence in her own riding. It is run by Park Place Seniors Living, and Fraser Health funds 47 of its suites.101112
Exhibit 01

Anne Kang · Facebook · post of 16 October 2026, 10:36 a.m. · public

facebook.com
Anne Kang's Facebook post, text only. It reads: It was a pleasure visiting Courtyard Terrace and spending time with the residents and staff. Thank you for the warm welcome and for sharing such a meaningful part of your day with us. Having volunteered at Courtyard Terrace in the past and played music for the seniors, this visit was especially meaningful to me. Music has a wonderful way of bringing people together, creating connections, and brightening someone's day. It was lovely to reconnect with the community and see the important work being done by the dedicated staff. Seniors have contributed so much to our families and communities, and they deserve to feel valued, respected, and supported at every stage of life. The BC NDP is committed to strengthening seniors' care and improving access to the services older adults need. Visits like these are a wonderful reminder of why investing in quality care, dignity, and human connection matters. Hashtags: bcndp, burnabycentre, strongertogether.
Her own words, cropped to the text. The photos of residents that go with the post are not shown here.1 Source: facebook.com

Kang writes that she once volunteered at Courtyard Terrace and played music for its residents. That is to her credit. But the post she published on the first day of advance voting is a campaign post: it names her party, makes her party’s pitch on seniors’ care, and carries her party’s campaign tags.1 Fraser Health, which funds suites at Courtyard Terrace, publishes no rule on candidates at the residences it funds that we could find, and neither does the operator.1113 Whether residents invited her, and whether every resident in those photos agreed to appear in a party’s campaign feed, are questions only she and the operator can answer.

02 Garry Begg, the NDP candidate in Surrey-Guildford, visited a long-term care home with memory care, then used the visit to attack the Conservatives

The record

  • Garry Begg is the BC NDP candidate in Surrey-Guildford. He held the seat in 2024 by 22 votes.39
  • On 15 October he posted: “Today, we visited Guildford Seniors Village to celebrate Care Aide Appreciation Day!” He thanked the home “for having us”.4
  • On 16 October he posted: “After visiting Guildford Seniors Village yesterday, one thing is clear: healthcare matters. … The Conservatives would put our healthcare services at risk.”4
  • Fraser Health lists Guildford Seniors Village as a long-term care home with 98 beds, and names memory care among its services. It is in his riding.512
Exhibit 02

Garry Begg · Instagram · posts of 15 and 16 October 2026

instagram.com
Two Instagram captions from Garry Begg. 15 October 2026, boxed: Today, we visited Guildford Seniors Village to celebrate Care Aide Appreciation Day! Then: It was wonderful to see firsthand the incredible work care aides do every day. Thank you to Guildford Seniors Village for having us and for such a warm welcome! 16 October 2026: After visiting Guildford Seniors Village yesterday, one thing is clear: healthcare matters. Boxed: Our seniors and healthcare workers deserve better, not cuts. The Conservatives would put our healthcare services at risk.
The caption text of both posts, set in type. The second turns the visit into an attack on his opponents.4 Source: instagram.com
Exhibit 03

Fraser Health · Locations and services · Guildford Seniors Village · read 16 October 2026

fraserhealth.ca
Fraser Health's listing for Guildford Seniors Village, 14568 104A Avenue, Surrey. Boxed: respite, complex care, memory care, special care, extended care, palliative care, hospice care. Boxed: Guildford Seniors Village has 98 long-term care beds; 60 publicly subsidized.
The health authority’s own listing of the home Begg visited.5 Source: fraserhealth.ca

Begg knows better than most candidates how sensitive a care home is at election time. After the 2024 vote, a Conservative petition claimed irregularities in mail-in voting at Argyll Lodge, a care home in his riding. Begg’s court filing in response, CBC News reported, accused a woman working for the Conservatives of “taking advantage of vulnerable care home residents”, and said staff and residents there are “prohibited from speaking about politics and religion”.9 The petition was later dropped, and the court made no finding either way.14 Two years on, it is his campaign that went into a care home, and his own post that turned the visit into a message about the Conservatives.

03 Nina Krieger, the Minister of Public Safety, met “residents” at a Saanich care campus where Island Health’s guidance limits an invited candidate to the one resident who asked

The record

  • Nina Krieger is the Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General and the BC NDP candidate in Victoria-Swan Lake.23
  • On 14 October she posted: “At Luther Court, residents shared concerns I hear at doors across our community”. The post goes on: “Our BC NDP government partnered with Luther Court”.6
  • Luther Court, at 1525 Cedar Hill Cross Road, runs both long-term care and assisted living, and Island Health lists both. It is in her riding.1215
  • Island Health’s guidance says that if a resident invites a candidate to a care home, “the candidate’s visit should be limited to only meeting with that resident.”16
Exhibit 04

Nina Krieger · Instagram · post of 14 October 2026

instagram.com
Nina Krieger's Instagram caption of 14 October 2026. Growing older shouldn't mean leaving your community or struggling to find care. Boxed: At Luther Court, residents shared concerns I hear at doors across our community: Will I have a family doctor? Can I stay in the place I call home as my needs change? Boxed: Our BC NDP government partnered with Luther Court to open its Community Health Centre, connecting local people with a family doctor or nurse practitioner. We're also supporting new affordable housing on the campus, where people of different ages can live, connect and support each other. Then: Seniors deserve care and dignity. We've been rebuilding seniors' care after years of underfunding, and we need to keep moving forward.
The caption text, set in type. She writes about “residents”, plural, and credits “Our BC NDP government”.6 Source: instagram.com
Exhibit 05

Island Health · Electioneering Guidelines During Election Campaign · read 16 October 2026

islandhealth.ca
From Island Health's electioneering guidelines. Under On-site Campaigning and Signs: Island Health does not provide access to our sites, inside facilities or on the property, for political campaigning, including access to patients and employees, distribution of campaign materials, site tours, or photo opportunities. Under Long-Term Care and Assisted Living Facilities, boxed: If a resident invites a candidate to a care home, the candidate's visit should be limited to only meeting with that resident.
The health authority for Saanich. Its guidance rules out campaigning and photo opportunities on its own sites, and limits an invited candidate in a care home to the resident who asked.16 Source: islandhealth.ca

Island Health’s guidance leaves care-home visits to each site, and Luther Court is run by its own society, so whether the guidance governed this visit is a question for Island Health and Luther Court.1516 But the guidance says what the health authority for Saanich expects: one invited candidate, one resident. Krieger’s own post describes a conversation with residents, and turns it into a pitch for her government.6

04 Nina Krieger also posted about a Grade 8 class at Cedar Hill Middle School during the campaign, crediting “our government” for the new building

The record

  • On 13 October Krieger posted that “Cedar Hill Middle School’s Grade 8 students came prepared to talk about homelessness, AI, climate action, education and access to health care.”7
  • The same post says the students have moved into “a beautiful new, seismically safer school our government was proud to support”.7
  • Cedar Hill Middle School, at 3910 Cedar Hill Road, belongs to the Greater Victoria school district and lies in her riding.1217
  • Her post does not say when the visit took place, or whether the other Victoria-Swan Lake candidates were invited. The school’s website shows no all-candidates event.717
Exhibit 06

Nina Krieger · Instagram · post of 13 October 2026

instagram.com
Nina Krieger's Instagram caption of 13 October 2026. They're a few years away from voting. They're already asking questions that matter. Boxed: Cedar Hill Middle School's Grade 8 students came prepared to talk about homelessness, AI, climate action, education and access to health care. Their questions were thoughtful, challenging and rooted in care for their community. Then: Young people deserve a say in the decisions shaping their lives. Listening to them is an important part of my job. Boxed: Since my last visit in 2024, students have moved into a beautiful new, seismically safer school our government was proud to support, a place to learn, connect and imagine what comes next. Then: Thank you to the students for a thoughtful conversation, and to the teachers and staff who support their curiosity every day.
The caption text, set in type. The photos that go with the post are not shown here.7 Source: instagram.com

Greater Victoria’s published election rule speaks only to its own trustee candidates, whose requests to visit a school “are not considered appropriate during an election campaign.” It is silent on candidates for the Legislature.18 Across the district line, the Saanich school district prohibits campaigning in its schools by provincial candidates, except at all-candidate forums where “all parties are given equal opportunity”. Burnaby and Vancouver have the same kind of rule.192021 Student Vote, the civics program many B.C. schools run at election time, tells teachers to “Invite all candidates running in your electoral district”.22 In our view, a cabinet minister posting about a class visit in the middle of a campaign, and crediting her government for the building, is exactly what those rules are written to stop.

Exhibit 07

School District 63 (Saanich) · Administrative Procedure 154, Political Electioneering · approved November 2020

saanichschools.ca
From Saanich School District's Administrative Procedure 154. Boxed: 1. Campaigning in District schools by individual candidates or parties for municipal, school board, provincial, or federal elections is prohibited except that: 1.1 Principals may organize all-candidate forums or assemblies for educational purposes, provided the attendance is by invitation and voluntary and all parties are given equal opportunity. Also shown: 1.2 School space may be rented after hours on a commercial basis; and political campaign materials may not be distributed through the school or sent home to parents.
The next district over. Its rule allows candidates in schools only at forums open to every party.19 Source: saanichschools.ca

05 B.C.’s Election Act has no rule for care homes or classrooms, so the only limits are the ones health authorities and school districts wrote for themselves

The record

  • The Election Act’s rules on campaigning do not mention care homes, long-term care or schools. Its one rule on access, section 228.01, tells landlords, co-ops and stratas not to unreasonably keep candidates out.23
  • The federal Canada Elections Act exempts a building “whose residents’ physical or emotional well-being may be harmed” by campaigning. B.C.’s Act has no such exception.24
  • Island Health has written guidance for its region. We found none published by Fraser Health, which covers Burnaby and Surrey.1316
  • Burnaby, Vancouver and Saanich school districts ban campaigning in schools outside all-candidate events. Greater Victoria’s rule covers its trustee candidates only.18192021

That gap is not an excuse. A party that wanted to keep campaigns out of care homes and classrooms could tell its own candidates to stay out, as other public bodies already tell theirs. A Manitoba health region allows each candidate one visit per site, arranged by the site, with residents met in a group and no photography.25 The Region of Peel in Ontario bars “direct distribution of campaign materials to residents in their rooms.”26 The BC NDP has written no such rule for its candidates that we could find.

06 The care-home posts fit a pattern: the NDP called this election two years early, kept a land plan under non-disclosure agreements, and was penalized by Elections BC over attack texts that lacked the required authorization statement

The record

  • The snap election. Premier David Eby’s cabinet ordered the vote on 22 September 2026. Under the Constitution Act, the fixed date would have been 21 October 2028.2728 In 2023 he said: “I’m committed to the fixed election date.”29
  • The critics. Gary Mason, a Globe and Mail columnist, called it “cynical and self-serving”. Ken Sim, the mayor of Vancouver, said it serves no one “but the governing party’s own interest.” Lorne Doerkson, the Conservative interim leader, said Eby called it “because he saw opportunity for himself”.303132
  • The land plan. Rob Shaw of Northern Beat reported that anyone who wanted to see the government’s plan for about 400 parcels of Crown land “was forced by government to sign a non-disclosure agreement to remain quiet during the election period.”33
  • The 2024 land deal. Two NDP ministers signed a land agreement with the shíshálh Nation on 16 August 2024, and the Province announced it after that year’s vote. The Province later wrote: “We acknowledge that we should have found a way to announce the renewal before the election.”34
  • The attack texts. Elections BC found that “The BC NDP, contravened section 231 of the Election Act when they conducted election advertising during the campaign period that did not contain the required authorization statement.” The texts, about 8,065 of them, attacked John Rustad in the 2024 campaign. The penalty was $200.35
  • This campaign’s attacks. Rob Shaw wrote on 1 October that the BC NDP “have also been relentless in a barrage of attacks that portray the Conservatives as Donald Trump-loving yahoos”.36
Exhibit 08

Elections BC · Enforcement Notice to the BC NDP · file 2024-076 · 30 March 2026 · page 2

elections.bc.ca (PDF)
Page 2 of Elections BC's enforcement notice to the BC NDP. Under Analysis and Determination, boxed: The BC NDP, contravened section 231 of the Election Act when they conducted election advertising during the campaign period that did not contain the required authorization statement. Under Monetary Penalty, a list of considerations, including: The investigation did not reveal any deliberate attempt to circumvent the legislation. Boxed: The BC NDP spent $645 on approximately 8,065 text messages that did not have the required authorization statement on them.
Elections BC’s determination, in its own words. The notice also records that its investigation “did not reveal any deliberate attempt to circumvent the legislation.”35 Source: elections.bc.ca (PDF)

None of these is a care-home visit, and none of them is the same thing. Together they show a party that times things to its own advantage: an election called when its opponents were divided, a land plan kept quiet until after the vote, a 2024 deal announced only when the votes were counted, and about 8,065 attack texts sent without the authorization statement the Election Act requires.30333435 In our view, campaigning in care homes and classrooms belongs on that list.

07 Residents in care and students in class are a captive audience, and a cabinet minister with a camera is not just another visitor

B.C.’s care law gives a resident the right “to receive visitors and to communicate with visitors in private”, and a resident who wants to meet a candidate should be free to.3738 The right belongs to the resident. It is not an open door for a campaign, and it does not cover a party photo shoot in the lounge.

People in long-term care depend on the staff and the system for every part of the day. Some live with dementia, as the memory care listed at Guildford Seniors Village makes plain.5 A minister arriving with a camera is not someone many of them can easily turn away. A Grade 8 student cannot leave the room when a cabinet minister walks to the front of the class. In our view, that is why these visits are playing dirty: they reach people who cannot say no, in places they cannot leave, and turn them into campaign content.

08 David Eby and the three candidates can each answer these questions before 24 October

The questions

  1. David Eby, BC NDP leader: do you think your candidates should campaign inside care homes and classrooms, and will you tell them to stop before 24 October?
  2. Anne Kang, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport: who invited you to Courtyard Terrace, and did every resident in your photos agree to appear in a BC NDP campaign post?
  3. Garry Begg, candidate in Surrey-Guildford: after telling a court that care-home residents in your riding were vulnerable to political pressure, why did you post about the Conservatives from a long-term care home?
  4. Nina Krieger, Minister of Public Safety: were the other Victoria-Swan Lake candidates invited to speak to the Cedar Hill Grade 8 class, and did a resident invite you to Luther Court?
  5. The BC NDP: will you support province-wide rules, in the Election Act, that keep campaigns out of care homes except at a resident’s invitation, and out of classrooms except at events open to every candidate?

Care homes and classrooms are not campaign stops. The BC NDP should stop treating them as one.

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BC NDP candidates, two of them cabinet ministers, took their campaigns into seniors’ care homes and a Grade 8 class. In our view, that’s playing dirty to drum up votes.

Anne Kang, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport, posted a #bcndp campaign message about her visit inside Courtyard Terrace, a Burnaby seniors’ residence, on the day advance voting opened.

Garry Begg, the NDP candidate in Surrey-Guildford, visited a long-term care home, then posted that “The Conservatives would put our healthcare services at risk.”

Nina Krieger, Minister of Public Safety, posted about residents at Luther Court and a Grade 8 class at Cedar Hill Middle School.

Tell the BC NDP to keep its campaign out of care homes and classrooms, and to back province-wide rules.

backcountry.cx/editorials/campaigning-in-care-homes-and-schools/

#BCpoli #BCElection #BCNDP #LongTermCare

Sources

  1. ↩ Anne Kang, Facebook post, page “Anne Kang” (AnneKangBurnaby), post 1475553501056658, posted 16 October 2026 at 10:36 a.m. and set to public: the full caption, ending “#bcndp #burnabycentre #strongertogether”. The post includes photos of her with residents inside the residence; they are not reproduced here. The same caption is on her Instagram account, post DekFYGBgY3g, dated 16 October 2026. facebook.com · instagram.com
  2. ↩ Province of British Columbia, Cabinet ministers, last updated 8 September 2026, read 16 October 2026: the Honourable Anne Kang, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport; the Honourable Nina Krieger, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General. Ministers stay in office until a new cabinet is sworn in. gov.bc.ca
  3. ↩ Elections BC, 2026 Provincial General Election: candidate list (CSV, last modified 16 October 2026): Anne Kang, BC NDP, Burnaby Centre; Garry Begg, BC NDP, Surrey-Guildford; Nina Krieger, BC NDP, Victoria-Swan Lake. elections.bc.ca
  4. ↩ Garry Begg, Instagram posts DeiBYCVvp3z, 15 October 2026 (“Today, we visited Guildford Seniors Village to celebrate Care Aide Appreciation Day!” and “Thank you to Guildford Seniors Village for having us”), and DekPmHnPusU, 16 October 2026 (“After visiting Guildford Seniors Village yesterday … The Conservatives would put our healthcare services at risk.”). instagram.com · instagram.com
  5. ↩ Fraser Health, Locations and services: Guildford Seniors Village, 14568 104A Avenue, Surrey, read 16 October 2026: “respite | complex care | memory care | special care | extended care | palliative care | hospice care”; “Guildford Seniors Village has 98 long-term care beds; 60 publicly subsidized.” Operated by Retirement Concepts. fraserhealth.ca
  6. ↩ Nina Krieger, Instagram post DefvT-JtitF, 14 October 2026: “At Luther Court, residents shared concerns I hear at doors across our community”; “Our BC NDP government partnered with Luther Court”. The post does not give the date of the visit. instagram.com
  7. ↩ Nina Krieger, Instagram post DedrgQLFHYK, 13 October 2026: “Cedar Hill Middle School’s Grade 8 students came prepared to talk about homelessness, AI, climate action, education and access to health care”; “Since my last visit in 2024, students have moved into a beautiful new, seismically safer school our government was proud to support”. The post does not give the date of the visit or say whether other candidates were invited. instagram.com
  8. ↩ Elections BC, Guide for Candidates and Political Parties, 2026 Provincial General Election, form 8008560 (26/09): page 3, the election calendar (“Special voting and assisted telephone voting begin”, October 16; advance voting October 16 to 21); pages 14 to 16, Canvassing voters, Canvassing multiple-residence buildings (“the owner may be given a notice explaining the law and requiring that access be granted”; “residents may contact the candidate or party”) and Restrictions on campaigning near district electoral offices and voting places. elections.bc.ca (PDF)
  9. ↩ Rafferty Baker, CBC News, “Court filing claims B.C. Conservative operative exploited care home residents to make election claims”, 27 February 2025: Garry Begg’s court filing in the Surrey-Guildford election petition “accuses a woman of taking advantage of vulnerable care home residents on behalf of the B.C. Conservatives”, and “claims staff and residents at the facility are prohibited from speaking about politics and religion”; Begg won the seat by 22 votes. None of the claims was proven in court. cbc.ca
  10. ↩ Fraser Health, Service Directory: Assisted Living at Courtyard Terrace, read 16 October 2026: 3730 Burke Street, Burnaby; “Courtyard Terrace offers both Private Pay and Fraser Health-funded suites. Our Fraser Health program offers 47 suites comprised of studios and one bedroom suites.” fraserhealth.ca
  11. ↩ Park Place Seniors Living, operator website, read 16 October 2026 (the Courtyard Terrace page redirects to the operator’s home page). No visitor or political-visit policy is published there. parkplaceseniorsliving.com
  12. ↩ Province of British Columbia, BC Address Geocoder and the BC Geographic Warehouse layer EBC_PROV_ELECTORAL_DIST_SVW (current provincial electoral districts), queried 16 October 2026: 3730 Burke Street, Burnaby, lies in Burnaby Centre; 14568 104A Avenue, Surrey, in Surrey-Guildford; 1525 Cedar Hill Cross Road and 3910 Cedar Hill Road, Saanich, in Victoria-Swan Lake. geocoder.api.gov.bc.ca · openmaps.gov.bc.ca
  13. ↩ Fraser Health, fraserhealth.ca, site search for “election” and web searches for a Fraser Health policy on candidates or campaigning at its sites, 16 October 2026. The site renders its search results by script and the saved page holds none; no Fraser Health policy on candidates was found. fraserhealth.ca
  14. ↩ CBC News, “B.C. Conservative candidate abandons lawsuit after claiming ‘irregularities’ in 2024 election”, 23 December 2025: Elections BC confirmed the petition was discontinued, and Elections BC said “The court did not make any determinations about whether any of the alleged contraventions of the Election Act occurred.” cbc.ca
  15. ↩ Island Health, Luther Court Long-Term Care and Luther Court Assisted Living, 1525 Cedar Hill Cross Road, operated by the Luther Court Society, read 16 October 2026. islandhealth.ca · islandhealth.ca
  16. ↩ Island Health, Electioneering Guidelines During Election Campaign, medical staff site, written for the provincial election of 19 October 2024 and read 16 October 2026: On-site Campaigning and Signs (“Island Health does not provide access to our sites” for political campaigning); Long-Term Care and Assisted Living Facilities (“candidate requests to visit sites are left to the discretion of the individual sites. If a resident invites a candidate to a care home, the candidate’s visit should be limited to only meeting with that resident.”). islandhealth.ca
  17. ↩ Cedar Hill Middle School, cedarhill.sd61.bc.ca, 3910 Cedar Hill Road, Saanich, a school of School District 61 (Greater Victoria), read 16 October 2026; the school’s site has no notice of a candidate visit or an all-candidates event. cedarhill.sd61.bc.ca
  18. ↩ School District 61 (Greater Victoria), Policy 8200 and Regulation 8200, Trustee Election Protocol (regulation approved 28 March 2011): “Requests by Trustee candidates to visit a school are not considered appropriate during an election campaign.” The policy applies from the first Tuesday of September to the third Saturday of November in an election year. The district’s policy and regulation index, read 16 October 2026, lists no other election rule. sd61.bc.ca (PDF) · policy (PDF) · index
  19. ↩ School District 63 (Saanich), Administrative Procedure 154, Political Electioneering, approved November 2020: “Campaigning in District schools by individual candidates or parties for municipal, school board, provincial, or federal elections is prohibited except that: Principals may organize all-candidate forums or assemblies for educational purposes, provided the attendance is by invitation and voluntary and all parties are given equal opportunity”. saanichschools.ca
  20. ↩ School District 41 (Burnaby), Administrative Procedure 203, Political Activities in Schools, adopted June 2026: 1 (a) “Political campaigning by individual candidates or political parties for municipal, school board, provincial, or federal elections is not permitted on School District property or during school-sponsored activities”; 2 (a) all-candidate events where “all candidates are given equal opportunity”. burnabyschools.ca (PDF)
  21. ↩ School District 39 (Vancouver), Administrative Procedure 154, Political Activities, revised 27 January 2026: 1.1 campaigning “is prohibited in schools and on District property during the instructional day and at school/VSB sponsored activities”, except at all-candidates events; 2.2 “All eligible candidates must be invited with reasonable notice and afforded equal speaking time”. vsb.bc.ca (PDF)
  22. ↩ CIVIX, Student Vote BC 2026, Guide 3.2: All-candidates debate: “Invite all candidates running in your electoral district to participate”; “Ensure a respectful, non-partisan environment.” studentvote.ca (PDF)
  23. ↩ Election Act, R.S.B.C. 1996, c. 106, Part 10.1, current to 6 October 2026: section 228.01, Canvassing in housing cooperative, strata and rental properties. (2) housing co-operatives, landlords and strata corporations “must not unreasonably restrict access to residential property by a candidate or an authorized canvasser for the purposes of canvassing voters and distributing candidate information”; (3) identification on request; (4) “Subsection (2) applies from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. during the campaign period.” bclaws.gov.bc.ca
  24. ↩ Canada Elections Act, S.C. 2000, c. 9, current to 30 September 2026: section 81 (1) (no person in control of a multiple-residence building may prevent a candidate from canvassing or campaigning in a common area, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.) and (2) (the exception for a building “whose residents’ physical or emotional well-being may be harmed”); and the provisions that use “undue influence”, which concern employers (section 134) and foreign actors (section 282.4). It governs federal elections only. laws-lois.justice.gc.ca
  25. ↩ Southern Health-Santé Sud (Manitoba), policy ORG.1110.PL.001, Elections and Political Access, revised 4 November 2025, section 3: a candidate “has a single opportunity to visit a site”; “The site manages and distributes the invitation or notification of the visit”; “Candidates meet with clients in a group setting, unless specifically requested by a client”; and no access for photography or media events. southernhealth.ca (PDF)
  26. ↩ Region of Peel (Ontario), policy G40-01, effective 9 April 2026, section D.1 and Appendix I: campaigning in its long-term care homes “is permitted in very limited circumstances”; activities “confined only to a designated common area”; “No direct distribution of campaign materials to residents in their rooms will be permitted.” peelregion.ca (PDF)
  27. ↩ Province of British Columbia, Order in Council 410/2026, approved and ordered 22 September 2026: “the writs of election are to be issued on Tuesday, September 22, 2026” and “the final voting day for the election is Saturday, October 24, 2026”. bclaws.gov.bc.ca
  28. ↩ Constitution Act, R.S.B.C. 1996, c. 66, section 23: (1) the Lieutenant Governor may dissolve the Legislative Assembly; (2) “Subject to subsection (1), a final voting day must occur on the third Saturday in October in the fourth calendar year following the final voting day for the most recently held general election.” After the vote of 19 October 2024, that is 21 October 2028. bclaws.gov.bc.ca
  29. ↩ Katie DeRosa, Vancouver Sun, in the Times Colonist, “Premier Eby’s campaign-style ads fuel B.C. election speculation”, 21 March 2023: “I’m committed to the fixed election date.” timescolonist.com
  30. ↩ Gary Mason, The Globe and Mail, “David Eby’s snap election call is cynical and self-serving”, opinion, 22 September 2026. theglobeandmail.com
  31. ↩ Global News, reaction to the election call, 22 September 2026: Emily Lowan, BC Green leader (“British Columbians weren’t due back at the polls until 2028”), and Ken Sim, mayor of Vancouver (“There is no version of this where calling it now, instead of after Oct. 17, serves anyone but the governing party’s own interest.”). globalnews.ca
  32. ↩ Times Colonist (The Canadian Press), “Three B.C. party leaders to face off in only televised debate of election”, October 2026: Lorne Doerkson, Conservative interim leader (“He called a snap election, because he saw opportunity for himself”), and David Eby on why he called it. timescolonist.com
  33. ↩ Rob Shaw, Northern Beat, “Secret documents reveal BC NDP government ‘Land Returns’ plan for First Nations”, column, 15 October 2026: anyone who wanted to see the material “was forced by government to sign a non-disclosure agreement to remain quiet during the election period”; and, on 2024, the NDP “withheld details from voters until after the election was over”. northernbeat.ca
  34. ↩ Province of British Columbia, “shíshálh Nation – British Columbia Foundation Agreement … Questions and Answers”, updated 8 October 2025, question 1: “We acknowledge that we should have found a way to announce the renewal before the election.” The agreement is dated 16 August 2024 and was announced on 29 January 2025. gov.bc.ca (PDF) · news.gov.bc.ca
  35. ↩ Elections BC, Enforcement Notice to the BC NDP, EBC file 15110-25/2024-076, 30 March 2026, signed by Adam Barnes, Director of Investigations: about 8,065 text messages sent on 6 and 7 October 2024, attacking John Rustad, without the authorization statement section 231 requires; “The investigation did not reveal any deliberate attempt to circumvent the legislation”; penalty of $200, which the party accepted. elections.bc.ca (PDF)
  36. ↩ Rob Shaw, Northern Beat, “Parsing the truth in a barrage of BC NDP political attacks”, column, 1 October 2026: “the BC NDP have also been relentless in a barrage of attacks that portray the Conservatives as Donald Trump-loving yahoos”. northernbeat.ca
  37. ↩ Community Care and Assisted Living Act, S.B.C. 2002, c. 75, current to 6 October 2026: section 1 (an “assisted living residence” is a premises “other than a community care facility”), section 7 (a licensee must promote the rights of adult persons in care set out in the Schedule), section 26 (assisted living residences must be registered), and the Schedule, clause 2 (c) and (e) (the right “to receive visitors and to communicate with visitors in private”). bclaws.gov.bc.ca
  38. ↩ Residential Care Regulation, B.C. Reg. 96/2009, current to 13 October 2026, section 57 (2): a licensee must, “to the greatest extent possible while maintaining the health, safety and dignity of all persons in care”, ensure that a person in care may “receive visitors of the person in care’s choice at any time” and “communicate with visitors in private.” bclaws.gov.bc.ca

Every source was read on 16 October 2026.