B.C. campaign trail: Conservatives promise $1,000 tax cut by boosting exemption level

Taxation is back at the forefront of the British Columbia election campaign.

Here are some of the latest developments from the campaign trail on Thursday.

B.C. CONSERVATIVES OFFER $1,000 TAX CUT

Interim leader of the B.C. Conservatives Lorne Doerkson says he would cut provincial taxes by $1,000 for nearly every working British Columbian amid a “cost-of-living crisis.”

The Conservatives plan to raise the basic personal income tax exemption level in B.C. from $13,216 to $32,000, making it “the most generous in Canada.”

They say a typical two-income family would benefit by about $2,000 a year, or $167 a month.

Doerkson has already pledged no new taxes under a Conservative government, at a time when the province is facing a projected deficit under the NDP of $13.8 billion.

While campaigning in Surrey, Doerkson said that B.C. will have to “supercharge the economy” to meet funding and revenue challenges.

NDP candidate Spencer Chandra Herbert said the tax-cut vow by the Conservatives would “blow a $2.5 billion hole into the B.C. budget,” and suggested health care spending would have to be cut to meet the shortfall.

NDP WOULD FREEZE ICBC RATES THREE MORE YEARS

British Columbia New Democrat Leader David Eby says his government would freeze the province’s vehicle insurance rates for another three years if elected on Oct. 24.

Eby, as the attorney general, moved the Insurance Corporation of B.C. to a no-fault system in 2021, after saying the Crown agency was a financial “dumpster fire.”

Eby said while campaigning in Richmond that his government saved the average B.C. driver about $500 a year and it’s been able to freeze rates for seven years.

A leaked letter sent to trial lawyers and others by Doerkson said if his party wins the election he’ll repeal the no-fault plan for a hybrid model.

While Eby acknowledges the current system is not perfect, he said the Conservative plan would hike car insurance costs and send more money to lawyers and private insurers.

CentreBC Leader Elenore Sturko has called on Doerkson to explain his insurance commitments, saying British Columbians “deserve to know what is being promised in their name.”

Sturko wants Doerkson to publish his proposal in full and describe the potential impact on premiums.

GREENS RELEASE SCHOOLS PLAN

BC Green Party Leader Emily Lowan has announced the party’s plans for schools, including a vow to close what they say is a $317 million funding shortfall for the costs of inclusive education.

The party said it would increase the number of counsellors to achieve a ratio of one counsellor for every 250 students.

It also said it would deliver universal programs for school food and supplies, “so every student gets fed and has what they need to learn.”

Lowan, who is a candidate for Saanich North and the Islands, said “no child should have to try to learn when they’re hungry,” or lack a trusted counsellor.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 8, 2026.

Canadian Press Staff, The Canadian Press