Vaughn Palmer: David Eby about to call a totally unnecessary B.C. election

Advertisement 1 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Breadcrumb Trail Links HomeNewsLocal NewsPoliticsOpinionColumnists Vaughn Palmer: David Eby about to call a totally unnecessary B.C. election Opinion: Trump tariffs are a bogus excuse for a provincial election. This is about saving Eby's job while the opposition is in disarray Author of the article: By Vaughn Palmer Published Sep 21, 2026 4 minute read Join the conversation Premier David Eby speaks at the annual meeting of the Union of B.C. Municipalities on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. PHOTO BY SCOTT MCALPINE /UBCM Article content VICTORIA — Premier David Eby faced tough questions about his scheme to call a snap election when he addressed the annual convention of local government leaders in Vancouver on Friday. Article content “There are 3,500 British Columbians about to launch local campaigns, and many of those candidates are in the room today,” said the Union of B.C. Municipalities president, Cori Ramsay. Article content Article content Article content “We don’t know if or when you might call a snap election. What we do want to know, though, is whether you can assure British Columbians that you will wait four weeks before making such a decision.” Article content Sunrise Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. Sign Up By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Article content The day before, the UBCM had passed an emergency motion, calling on the province to respect the local government election process, which end the election day set for on Oct. 17. Article content “We have set election dates in B.C. for good reason and it’s to avoid overlapping elections,” as Ramsay put it during the debate on the motion. Article content Eby acknowledged the resolution even as he refused to rule out a provincial election call that would intrude into the civic election window. Article content “We haven’t made any decisions yet, Cori,” Eby told Ramsay, which was close to a lie. Article content As of Friday, the New Democrats were deep into preparations for the election call, expected today. They were actively recruiting candidates, telling them to be ready. Ministers and MLAs were told to declare their intentions about retiring or running again. Elections B.C. was directed to start preparations for a four-week campaign starting this week. Article…