David Eby says he’ll stand up to big oil? Let’s check who lobbied his office the most.

Sources

1. ↩ BC NDP, “Eby’s plan will cut gas prices by up to 30 cents a litre, crack down on gouging,” 1 October 2026 — “Big oil and gas companies have been exploiting conflicts overseas to make record profits, leaving ordinary drivers and truckers paying the price every time they fill up,” said David Eby, BC NDP leader; and, later in the release, “No matter who is leading the BC Conservatives, we know they won’t stand up to big oil or grocery giants to lower your costs,” said Eby. Link
2. ↩ BC NDP, “Eby to support small businesses through the trade war,” 7 October 2026 — “While Conservatives have spent this campaign defending big oil and grocery giants, we’re proposing real solutions to make things a little easier for small businesses,” said Eby. Link
3. ↩ BC NDP YouTube channel, 3 October 2026, “Big oil is taking advantage of us. With David Eby’s plan, that stops immediately.” Item Y04 in the appendix to section 08. Video
4. ↩ Office of the Registrar of Lobbyists for British Columbia, open data — Lobbying Activity Reports (ORL_LAR_Data.zip, files dated 20 September 2026: the primary, office-holder and subject-matter exports) and Registration Returns (ORL_Registration_Data.zip, for each client’s own business description), under the ORL Open Data Licence, downloaded 10 October 2026; and the reports posted after the export, transcribed from the register’s public report pages. Every report counted here, 4,028 in all, is listed with its number, meeting date, client, lobbyists, office holders, stated topic, sector and registry link in our data file. Windows: reports naming David Eby, 4 May 2020 to 17 November 2022 (465 to 19 July 2022, when he left cabinet; 77 more as an MLA); reports naming him or the Office of the Premier, 18 November 2022 to 22 September 2026 (3,486). Sector rule as published with our lobbying data piece, with three corrections. Open data · Our data (CSV)
5. ↩ Province of British Columbia, Look West: B.C.’s Outdoor Recreation Strategy, 21 May 2026, 36 pages — Target 8 at page 21 (“A modernized framework for high-value recreation access and resource roads”, and recreation access “depends heavily on resource roads” as “the industrial base that has historically funded road maintenance continues to shrink”); Target 1 at page 13 (“no single office coordinates these shared priorities”, “explore the establishment of a coordinating Office of Outdoor Recreation”). Counted from the PDF text: seventeen targets, none with a budget line or completion date; nine whose actions name no one, Target 8 among them; two dollar figures in the document, $4.8 billion and $150,000, neither a budget. PDF
6. ↩ Hansard, 43rd Parliament, Second Session, Issue 141, afternoon sitting of 12 March 2026, Ministry of Forests estimates — Donegal Wilson on private landowners reached by forest service roads, naming the Incomappleux, and Hon. Ravi Parmar’s answer at about 3:45 p.m.; and his statement in the same debate that the provincial road maintenance budget rose “from $6.1 million in the 2022-2023 fiscal year to $16½ million in 2025-2026.” Link
7. ↩ BC NDP news releases, bcndp.ca, 22 September to 8 October 2026 — 33 releases, each fetched from bcndp.ca on 9 October 2026 and listed with its date, link and code in the appendix above. The launch release of 22 September carries the “fair deal for forest workers” line; the Prince Rupert release of 28 September names forestry among port exports. Media centre
8. ↩ BC NDP YouTube channel, @bcndp — the channel’s 15 most recent items, 23 September to 8 October 2026, checked against its Videos and Shorts pages on 9 October 2026; titles and descriptions as published. Channel
9. ↩ BC NDP campaign websites — doerksonsdeal.ca, on Lorne Doerkson’s letter about car insurance, and bcndp.ca/gas, a savings calculator for the party’s fuel-price plan; both read on 9 October 2026. doerksonsdeal.ca · bcndp.ca/gas
10. ↩ BC Gov News 2022PREM0088-001737, 18 November 2022 — David Eby sworn in as British Columbia’s 37th premier. BC NDP, launch release of 22 September 2026, for the election call. Link
11. ↩ Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, Lobbying Activity Report 678-23778, 19 January 2023, lobbyist Geoff Morrison, Office of the Premier: “Communicating, in general, about opportunities and challenges facing the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) sector in British Columbia. The goal of these communications is to increase investment in British Columbia.” Report
12. ↩ BC NDP, “BC NDP announces candidates for Penticton-Summerland and Kamloops,” 1 October 2026 — “These steps will lower gas costs for drivers and stop oil and gas companies from taking advantage of people. The Conservatives would cozy up to Trump, cut health care and hike costs on working people,” said Eby. Link
13. ↩ BC NDP, “Eby to freeze car insurance rates for another three years,” 8 October 2026 — “I fought hard to reduce car insurance rates, and I’ll fight to keep them low. Nobody can afford for their bills to skyrocket to line the pockets of powerful insiders,” said David Eby, BC NDP leader. Link
14. ↩ Investigative Journalism Foundation, “Paying for influence: how companies use former government insiders to work the corridors of power in B.C.,” 15 January 2024 — “Former British Columbia cabinet minister Moe Sihota … after being elected B.C. NDP president in 2009”; “Since leaving government, Sihota has worked as a consultant lobbyist.” His 29 reports to the Office of the Premier are in our data file. Link
15. ↩ BC NDP, “Doerkson confirms he made backroom promise to private interests while hiding it from British Columbians,” 7 October 2026. Link
16. ↩ BC Gov News 2025PREM0032-000187, Office of the Premier, 10 March 2025, the Premier’s statement on removing all U.S. alcohol from BC Liquor stores: “Trump wants to force us into becoming the 51st state. That will never happen. We are proud Canadians. We will always be the true north, strong and free. Elbows up!” Set out in full in our editorial on CMH. Link
17. ↩ BC NDP, “David Eby launches election with plan to build B.C. strong amid Trump’s attacks,” 22 September 2026 — the third plank: “Build an economy free from the US.” Link
18. ↩ HeliCat Canada Association, Lobbying Activity Reports of 14 July 2025, both naming Tom McCarthy, Deputy Minister, Office of the Premier: 1683-44678, lobbyists Dave Butler and Ross Cloutier, “Land Management and adventure tourism policies and programs as they relate to the helicopter and snowcat skiing sector in BC”; and 6130-44382, consultant lobbyist Greg D’Avignon of CSG Canadian Strategy Group, on “regulatory efficiency and coordination across ministries to address the fragmented permitting process.”
19. ↩ Backcountry Coalition, “Who are CMH?”, 28 September 2026 — Canadian Mountain Holidays LP, owned by Alterra Mountain Company of Denver, Colorado, and its six commercial recreation tenures over 7,321 km² of Crown land; Dave Butler identified as “VP of Sustainability, Canadian Mountain Holidays” in the Ministry’s own meeting note, and listed by HeliCat Canada as a contractor. Read it
20. ↩ BC Gov News 2023ENV0018-000321, 14 March 2023 — the Ministers of Environment and Climate Change Strategy and of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation issue Cedar LNG’s environmental assessment certificate; the certificate, EAC E23-01, is dated 13 March 2023. The seven reports from Cedar LNG Partners (GP) Ltd. to the Office of the Premier, 16 January to 13 March 2023, are linked in section 03. Link
21. ↩ The Canadian Press, Wolfgang Depner, “Bill fast-tracking infrastructure projects passes as Speaker Raj Chouhan breaks tie,” 28 May 2025: “Bill 15 fast-tracks public and private infrastructure projects”; third reading passed “by a 47-to-46 vote.” Link
22. ↩ BC Gov News 2026FOR0033-000989, 27 August 2026 — the Working Forest Landscape Model: three zones, “an annual harvest of 45 million cubic metres”, first test areas to be named in autumn 2026, with the Ministers of Forests and of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship quoted. Link
23. ↩ BC Gov News 2026WLRS0020-000388, “Supporting adventure tourism in B.C. with new permitting hub,” 9 April 2026, Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship — $7.5 million from Budget 2026; an initial focus on heli-skiing, cat skiing and guided snowmobiling; HeliCat Canada calling it “a pivotal step forward in creating the conditions for investment.” Set out in our editorial on CMH. Link
24. ↩ Rady Creek — Selkirk Natural Resource District tender EN27DSE008, posted on BC Bid on 9 September 2026 for 4,395 m of deactivation with a completion date of 1 November 2026; CBC News, Jacqueline Gelineau, 22 September 2026, in which the Ministry stated “At this time, the decision for deactivation is final”; and the letters to the Minister of Forests from ATVBC and the Public Land Use Society (15 May 2026), the BC Snowmobile Federation (6 July 2026) and the Outdoor Recreation Council of BC (4 August 2026), as set out in our fact check. CBC
25. ↩ Ministry of Forests, “FAQ — Incomappleux Forest Service Road Deactivation”, April 2025, Q14: the district “is going to continue with our deactivation plans regardless of if an application is made under the Land Act.” Hansard, Issue 187, 28 May 2026, the 1,500-signature petition. Black Press Media, Evert Lindquist, 15 August 2026, reporting that the Province had not acted on the petition. The Ministry’s FAQ (PDF)
26. ↩ Selkirk Natural Resource District road safety information, § Road deactivations, read 27 September 2026: “Sitkum Creek FSR from 2.9km to 6.8km … is planned for deactivation in approximately June 2027 … Notice of proposed deactivation signage has been posted.” The forest tenure register records the road as held by the Selkirk Forest District. Set out in our editorial on Sitkum Creek. Read the Selkirk district’s page
27. ↩ Province of British Columbia, Cariboo-Chilcotin road safety information, read 6 October 2026 — “BC Timber Sales will be completing approximately 556 km of permanent deactivation work” in fiscal years 2026–27 and 2027–28; the objective includes “to limit automobile access”; a road stays open only if an applicant has “the tenure and maintenance obligations reassigned to you and pay a security deposit.” Province page
28. ↩ BC Gov News 2026ENV0024-000574, Kamloops, 21 May 2026 — the strategy’s launch, with “17 targets organized under five strategic priorities” and three grants through the Rural Economic Diversification and Infrastructure Program, including almost $400,000 for the Renshaw Snowmobile Trail System near McBride. Link
29. ↩ Mandate letters signed by the Premier, each reprinted as an appendix to its ministry’s 2026/27–2028/29 Service Plan — to the Ministers of Environment and Parks (16 January 2025, including “Find ways to increase access for families to British Columbia’s parks in a cost-efficient manner” and the six-month permitting instruction), Forests, Water, Land and Resource Stewardship, Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport, Jobs and Economic Growth, and Housing and Municipal Affairs, and to the Minister of State for Local Governments and Rural Communities (16 January 2025, published on its own); and the Premier’s appointment letter to the Parliamentary Secretary for Rural Development (18 November 2024). None mentions a resource road, a forest service road or backcountry access, and no later instrument assigning Target 8 was found. Set out in full in our editorial on the rest of the cabinet. Environment and Parks plan · Office of the Premier plan · Minister of State’s letter
30. ↩ BC NDP, “Action for You”, read 9 October 2026 — Pillar 8, the heading “More access to B.C. Parks” and its count of more than 2,000 new campsites since 2017; no reference to forest service roads, resource roads or deactivation. Link
31. ↩ Hansard, 43rd Parliament, First Session, Issue 38, evening sitting of 9 April 2025, Ministry of Forests estimates — Hon. Ravi Parmar at about 7:15 p.m. (“Of the 60,000 kilometres of forest service roads, roughly 12,000 are roads and sections of roads that we are actively maintaining”) and at about 7:45 p.m., answering Donegal Wilson on the budget for roads to recreation sites, trails and parks. Hansard, Issue 38, 9 April 2025
32. ↩ Outdoor Recreation Council of B.C., Resource Road Access Survey, read 6 October 2026 — “In many cases, there is no clear responsibility or funding for maintaining them for recreation access.” Link
33. ↩ Conservative Caucus of BC, “NDP Denies Access to Public Lands,” 31 July 2026, quoting Donegal Wilson, then Shadow Minister for Water, Land, Fisheries and Wildlife Management; read from the Internet Archive capture of 31 August 2026. Archive
34. ↩ Office of the Auditor General of British Columbia, Management of Forest Service Roads, dated 29 November 2020 and released 19 January 2021 — the conclusion at page 25 and Exhibit 8 at page 39 ($40.2 million requested and $5.5 million allocated in 2019/20); and the Office’s October 2025 follow-up report, recording the ministry’s own account that recommendation 3 (the deactivation rules) and recommendation 6 (maintenance funding, “secured or requested”) were complete as of 30 November 2022, and that four of nine recommendations were not complete as at 31 March 2025. Set out in full in our editorial on the audit. Read the audit · Read the follow-up report
35. ↩ Hansard, 42nd Parliament, Fifth Session, Issue 378, afternoon sitting of 21 February 2024, oral questions under “Crown Land Legislation and Consultation Process” — John Rustad’s question to the Premier, the Minister of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship’s two answers, and Hon. David Eby’s answer at about 2:30 p.m. Link
36. ↩ Hansard, 43rd Parliament, First Session, Issue 72, afternoon sitting of 28 May 2025, estimates of the Office of the Premier, at about 4:55 p.m. — Hon. David Eby answering Sharon Hartwell on the Babine Lake and Suskwa roads. Hansard, Issue 72
37. ↩ Hansard, 43rd Parliament, all 188 sittings, 18 February 2025 to 28 May 2026 — every speaking turn tested for thirteen terms (forest service road, resource road, Rady Creek, deactivat-, decommission, Crown land, backcountry, Incomappleux, public land, road access, access road, motorized recreation, logging road). David Eby: 542 turns, 3 using any of them. Published with the full candidate record in our guide to every candidate.
38. ↩ Backcountry Coalition, “Where the parties stand”, 6 October 2026 — seven tests, each printed before scoring and applied in the same words to both leaders, weighing each leader’s background and lived experience on the land as well as his words in the House. David Eby: a written commitment 1, a named owner 0, money attached ½, a record in the House ½, conduct in his own backyard ½, what his side actually did 0, his own record on recreation and the outdoors 0, for 2½ of 7. Lorne Doerkson, test by test: 1, ½, 0, 1, 1, ½ and 1, for 5 of 7. The bar is 3½, and only Doerkson clears it. The seventh test was added once the record had been read. The same scorecard records that Eby “has the budget, the ministry and the Crown agency.” Read the scoring
39. ↩ How the communications sample was built and coded. The bcndp.ca media centre lists only its twelve newest releases, so the rest were located through web search and Google News’s public listing for the site, then each was read on bcndp.ca and kept if dated 22 September 2026 or later; dates were read from each release. YouTube items are from the channel’s public video list. Codes: A, the item’s main subject is a Conservative candidate, the leader or the party, presented adversely; P, a commitment the party says it will carry out; R, something already done, presented as an achievement; O, anything else. Flags: any adverse reference to the Conservatives; any mention of access to Crown or public land, the backcountry, resource or forest service roads, or outdoor recreation access. Not read: Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok and Threads, which require a login; the Meta Ad Library and Google’s Ads Transparency Center, neither of which could be read on 9 October; and the Internet Archive, which was offline that day. A $15 million pledge for a Filipino cultural centre appears as a Conservative release of 7 October; no BC NDP release making such a pledge was found. Two bcndp.ca release addresses found through search now lead to the party’s home page and are not counted. No release dated 26 or 30 September was found. Nothing behind a login was attempted.
40. ↩ Conservative Party of BC campaign communications, 23 September to 8 October 2026 (no post is dated 22 September) — 38 news posts on conservativebc.ca, each read on the site on 9 October 2026, including “Fighting Wildfires. Protecting Communities.” of 2 October; and nine videos on the party’s YouTube channel, @ConservativePartyBC, dated 1 to 8 October 2026 and read from its Videos and Shorts pages on 9 October 2026, titles and descriptions as published. These items were not coded for attack lines. A 7 October video titled “DRIPA must be repealed” carries no description and was coded from its title. Every item is listed in the appendix above. Channel
41. ↩ The second-coder check. Twenty of the 50 items were drawn at random and given, without their codes, to a second coder working only from the codebook and from each item’s title, date and excerpt (the first 140 words of a release; the title and description of a video). Agreement on the main code was 20 of 20 (Cohen’s kappa 1.0). Agreement on the attack-line flag was 18 of 20; the two differences, the 1 October release welcoming more candidates (R09) and the 7 October libraries release (R25), carry their attack lines below the excerpt, and both lines are in the full text. Agreement on the access flag was 20 of 20 items. A random 20 of the 47 Conservative items were checked by the same method: agreement on the main code was 20 of 20, and agreement on the access flag was also 20 of 20.