Murray Wood: Who's hot... and who's not
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VICTORIA — The field of candidates running in British Columbia’s snap election is set after the office overseeing elections released the final list of candidates.
A statement from Elections BC shows the British Columbia Conservatives as the only party with candidates in all 93 ridings.
Mauro Francis, the party’s president, says in a statement that the momentum is now with the Conservatives.
“The enthusiasm we’ve seen across B.C. has been incredible,” he said. “In every region, from small towns to big cities, local members and volunteers stepped up to find great candidates and get them nominated.”
The B.C. New Democratic Party under their Leader David Eby, meanwhile, fell one short of fielding a full slate after failing to find a candidate for Peace River North, where voters will choose between Independent Jordan Kealy and Conservative Curtis Whitford.
Kealy won the riding in 2024 as a Conservative, but left the party in March 2025 and was charged with sexual assault in June of this year. He has denied the charges.
A statement from the British Columbia NDP does not directly address the absence of a candidate in that riding, but Eby said in it that his team reflects the diversity of the communities that they are trying to represent.
“These candidates bring expertise from all walks of life,” he said. “They know the challenges British Columbians are facing and will apply that real-world experience to support people.”
Elections BC says the Greens are running 73 candidates, including Leader Emily Lowan who is running in Greater Victoria, former provincial chief coroner Lisa Lapointe, who is also running in Greater Victoria, and Jeremy Valeriote, who is running in Greater Vancouver.
Andrew Weaver, a former leader of the Greens, is running for CentreBC, which is fielding 35 candidates, including Leader Elenore Sturko.
The former Conservative will be running in her home riding of Surrey South, where she will face Conservative Megan Knight, along with New Democrat Parik Tahlan, Green Bill McConnell and Denis R. Hurtubise, who is not affiliated with any party.
OneBC, which like CentreBC splintered from Conservatives, is running in 33 ridings. But their roster of would-be legislators does not include former Conservative Brent Chapman, who held Surrey-South at dissolution.
OneBC earlier announced Chapman as the candidate for the riding, but his name does not appear at all on the official list of candidates.
Chapman is the husband of former Conservative Kerry-Lynne Findlay, who resigned last month after defections and ideological divisions, just before the snap election was called.
Also not running is former OneBC legislator Tara Armstrong, who said on social media that she doesn’t want to split the anti-NDP vote.
OneBC interim leader Dallas Brodie, meanwhile, is running again in Vancouver-Quilchena. It’s one of nine ridings where candidates running for the B.C. New Democrats, Conservatives, Greens, CentreBC and OneBC will face off against each other.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 4, 2026.
Wolfgang Depner, The Canadian Press
