Leaders converge on Vancouver Island as B.C. voters break advance polling record

With British Columbia’s provincial election just days away, leaders of the province’s three main political parties - NDP’s David Eby, B.C. Conservative John Rustad, and Green Leader Sonia Furstenau - have all converged on Vancouver Island for their final campaign push.

Elections BC reports that advance voting turnout has reached record levels, with more than 181,000 ballots cast on Tuesday alone, breaking last week’s first-day record. In total, over 778,000 voters have already cast their votes ahead of today’s final day of advance polling, reflecting heightened public interest in what analysts say could be one of B.C.’s most competitive elections in years.

Both Eby and Rustad have campaign events scheduled in Nanaimo, while Furstenau is holding rallies in Victoria, home to both of the Green Party’s current seats. The NDP has traditionally dominated the island, but Rustad insists the region is “winnable territory” for the Conservatives this time, reflecting the party’s growing momentum across rural B.C.

Eby is also traveling through Ladysmith and Duncan, while Rustad will end his day with an evening rally at a Nanaimo hotel. Political observers note that the Island vote could play a decisive role in determining who forms the next government, particularly as urban centres like Surrey, Burnaby, and Vancouver remain divided.

Meanwhile, the B.C. Conservatives’ long-awaited platform costings, released Tuesday, project a nearly $11-billion deficit in the party’s first year - significantly higher than NDP or Green forecasts. Rustad claims the budget will balance by his second term, citing an ambitious 5.4 per cent annual economic growth rate.

Eby and Furstenau both criticized the plan, calling the numbers “unrealistic” and warning it would lead to cuts to key services. The NDP and Green platforms, by contrast, each project a $9.6-billion deficit, or about $2.9 billion higher than current estimates.

With advance voting surging and campaign messages intensifying, this final stretch is expected to test whether the NDP can hold its strongholds - or if Rustad’s Conservatives can carve out enough support to upset the balance in key ridings.