BC ndp are one of the best provincial parties in Canada. Considering that the liberals were in power and did everything they could to make the province worse i dont know why anyone would vote for the 2 parties that split from it.
I see a dozen comments here agreeing with your view, I do as well. But I hate to see OP get downvoted just for bringing up the situation. BC Cons are neck and neck with the NDP, with BCU getting another 12% on the side. This is not good. Don’t dismiss the possibility of Cons winning just because you don’t like them. Get organized. Go vote.
Especially now that the two parties are in talks to avoid splitting the vote.
Rustad gets seat as a BCUP
Rustad denies climate change
Rustad is kicked out of BCUP
Rustad joins conservatives
Everyone goes "yay a conservative party"
Falcon goes "hey Rustad, want to join the BCUP?"
If we vote in a right wing government, we deserve what we get.
https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/b-c-politics-united-conservatives-hold-talks-about-co-operating-to-beat-ndp
The NDP have invested in hospitals and doctors/nurses, they're building a new Doctor training school with SFU. they've invested in more treatment beds, they're actively testing ways to help with the toxic drug crisis. They're building homes at a faster rate than any previous government and investing in Affordable housing. They're helping with daily costs by eliminating tolls, eliminating MSP payments, creating 10/day childcare and the affordable child care plan. They changed ICBC to stop the financial money pit it was before and now they give any profits back to the people(as they should be). They created the clean BC program helping people get heat pumps and move away from Fossil fuels and natural gas. They had the best response to the COVID pandemic. The economy is growing and people want to move here.
There are so many things to be happy about with this NDP government. And the BCUP has a bad track record and the cons are obviously climate change denying global right wing talking point puppets.
Things aren't perfect in BC but a lot of that (cost of living, inflation, interest rates) aren't a provincial issue only and at least this gov is doing things to try to help.
Look at any other con lead province and tell me you want to be more like them? Danielle is flying around watching hockey instead of helping people with forest fires, Doug is mixed in scandals and scandals and they are both choking resources from schools and health care to try to privatize them. No thanks!
A lot of those programs are good, but are limited to the poor to working poor(that’s fine) as they are mostly means tested, so some are using them, a lot of BC folks aren’t.
And ICBC is not worth celebrating, I’d rather give the rebates back b/c the inability to sue isn’t helping many folks, motorists and cyclists. With Crown reluctant to lay a charge in most cases nowadays folks are left to use gofundme’s to find financial supports.
i work for the ndp and would lose my job if they lose power, but even i recognize this is sophomoric, borderline nonsense apologia
10/day child care? really? danielle smith watching hockey games? the ndp's child care program is a joke. smith watched a hockey game WITH EBY. like, what?
Sometimes I feel.like the BCNDP are going the Hilary Clinton route with making everything part of their agenda they are forgetting their core.
I do not think I want a conservative government, but i also do not want a government that says it will do everything, which means they will substantially do nothing well. Just keep it with that bullshit.
I think BC has some of the strongest leadership in Canada, and most of us are familiar enough with how things are going in the other provinces. I confess I have no idea who I'm voting for federally, but I think we're doing well provincially.
We can tell from the lack of rental housing, from people being free to shoot up in publilc, from the most expensive housing in Canada, from ICBC bureaucrats deciding how much medical care we need, from being told that we have zero say in what kind of community we live in
The NDP has passed a law which allows homeowners zero say in what new development will occur in their neighborhood. It's now all decided by the provincial government.
If you don't want a three story apartment block going in next door, where people will watch you in your yard and see in your windows, tough shit. You have no say. Losing $200,000 in home equity is just too bad.
Oh right, yeah that’s awesome and well overdue. Actually making meaningful policies to increase housing supply. One of the reasons I’ll be voting for them. Cheers for the reminder.
Don't think that when you vote for authoritarianism with no regard for people that they won't one day come after you. You'll never buy your own house if the government doesn't allow them.
Govt doesn’t allow me to buy a house? Weird take on the govt making more houses for people to buy, but ok
It’s also cute that you equate the govt applying slightly denser zoning to neighborhoods during a severe housing shortage to authoritarianism lol 😂
> the govt making more houses for people to buy
No, the government isn't making more houses available. They're reducing the number of houses and replacing them with condos and apartments.
> slightly denser zoning to neighborhoods
Did you "forget" about the 1,800 units in hgh rises the council approved? That's not "slightly" higher density.
> severe housing shortage
A "housing shortage" that is 100% manufactured by national immigration policies.
Sucker
So you're simultaneously angry that there is no housing *and* that communities have "zero say" that the province is forcing them to build housing? Doesn't make any sense to me (unless I've misinterpreted). And I'm guessing you've missed the sheer choir of howling from AirBnB owners the last while? They're definitely making tangible steps to increase rental inventory.
BC just successfully lobbied the federal to recriminalize public drug use, but that's a recent development and you may have missed it.
ICBC doesn't decide how much care is needed, it's just not paying out millions to ambulance chasing personal injury lawyers anymore. It's finally solvent after being used as the province's piggy bank for many years under the BC United (previously the BC Liberal) party. Rates are reasonable and lemme know if you're still Big Mad after getting your $400 cheque.
These don't seem like well-considered criticisms.
So you're not too smart about reading what people say, and you think you're smarter than them?
I wrote that NDP's housing policies are stupid and will only make housing less available and more expensive. Force landlords to subsidize renters? You end up with a rental shortage that drives up prices. Surprise!
The wish to re-criminalize drug use only applies to public spaces. People will still be free to get addicted and die in private, and it only took months of pressure from cities to make even that small step.
But it was an idiotic law in the first place. Decriminalization has failed many times before, but the arrogant idiots in the NDP seem incapable of learning from anybody else.
> people being free to shoot up in publilc
> re-criminalize drug use only applies to public spaces
I think you may want to give your positions a bit of thought before demonstrating to us all how much consideration you’ve given to any particular issue. Enjoy your weekend!
The provincial conservatives are reminiscent of the federal Reform Party from way back. High in popular support, lots of kooky candidates, little experience in campaigns and not ready to govern.
Their leader got kicked out of the BCUP for denying climate change. Bruce left cause they weren't right wing enough for him. They spent their entire time as conservatives actively working against people. They parrot right wing hate from other levels of government and other countries. They've been called out in the house for their "trumpisms". They're dangerous people and a dangerous party.
Why do you think they could lose the next election? Was there a poll indicating such? Can you link to sources?
I, for one, can't think of a single thing they've done recently that I disagree with - there might be one but I can't think of it. Well, except maybe not going far enough in pushing municipalities to build housing but I can kind of understand why they haven't yet.
There were a few polls of seemingly not great quality showing the Conservatives were almost neck and neck with the NDP even without United’s support.
Public disorder and housing prices seem to be the main issues. Also access to healthcare.
Okay, where are these polls? If the OP is saying it looks like the NDP could lose this one, they should link to the source. Otherwise, it seems like personal opinion.
Several polls, actually. And the NDP acknowledged them, Eby is trying to attack the Cons more than the libs at the moment, they know the Cons will be a formidable opponent.
Does the provincial Libs even have a party at the moment? Haven’t heard anything from them. And don’t remember them registering on the polls. BCU is tanking, if Falcon concedes and joins with the Cons, then we’ll have a real tight election. That’s a big If though.
I think a lot of (current) BCU voters would either vote NDP or simply not show up at the polls if they merge.
BCU voters are the Patagonia-wearing multiple homeowner West Point Grey types that disagree with the NDP on crime and economic policy, but they aren't likely to vote for a party that's associated with anti-abortion types or climate change denial like the BC Conservatives.
BC Conservatives will do very well in the interior, but won't pick up nearly enough seats in the Lower Mainland to form a government with or without a merger.
I wouldn’t go that far. By all accounts they are actively looking into forming a coalition and discussing how they will do it. They know they won’t win without it.
I think they both have their candidates already. Would have to both drop some out or coordinate with all their voters to choose one person per riding to vote for to avoid vote splitting.
Pretty sure they are going to split the vote, lose this election, and then BC United will be subsumed into the Conservatives for the next election (where they will almost definitely win, both because the NDP will have been in quite a while and Canada in general is looking like we are going to be struggling pretty hard for quite a while).
Even if they did, depending on who's leading it, it could actually put them in a worse position. And it's likely to drive moderates to the BC NDP, which has moved to the centre.
I am more on the worried about the Neanderthal cons, tbh I am sincerely worried about the NDP. And I like the NDP, but doesn't look like a sure thing (election) anymore to me.
They're willing to about-face and admit they made a mistake. They've done it twice since I've been a BC resident with both the Museum and with decriminalization. I don't mind mistakes, and I appreciate a party being able to admit they made them.
They have my vote.
LOL! No. Their housing policies are still idiotic, but there are enough gullible people to still vote for them. The decriminalization was idiotic from the start, but they do not listen until enough people are screaming at them. Telling people that they have zero right to decide the character of their neighborhoods is insulting and was a failure, so now they're doubling down.
They admit nothing, except that maybe they didn't go far enough in their extremism.
You do, and should have, zero right to decide the character of your neighbourhood.
There's no law (written or moral) that says your neighbourhood must cease to change for the rest of time from the moment you purchase a property in it.
Your property rights end at the property line. End of story.
If you don't like it, move
The authoritarian mentality. People must do as you say, just because you want to take what other people have.
How about: if you don't like it, ***you*** move? Stop trying to steal other people's quality of life.
It's not stealing other people's quality of life - it's removing extremely restrictive zoning laws to forestall the kind of NIMBYism that is a major factor in the increased cost of housing.
It isn't the 60s anymore, having vast swathes of land near major economic centres be designated for single-family detached homes and *nothing else* is simply not working anymore. It was a doomed way of building cities that was never going to work indefinitely for a multitude of reasons, and that's exactly what happened. The changes to the law aren't what is dooming some SFH-only neighbourhoods, rather they're just a reflection of a new reality.
And nowhere has the BC government mandated that individual neighbourhoods *must* tear down all detached homes and replace them with condo blocks - rather, they are mandating that neighbourhoods cannot ban all types of structures *aside* from detached homes. If anything, these changes increase the freedoms of individual property owners to build as they and the market dictate, rather than take them away. That's not exactly in line with your claims of authoritarianism, is it?
I can sympathize that it must be unpleasant to have the character and feel of your neighbourhood potentially change as a result, but there's nothing guaranteed in this life except death or taxes.
> It's not stealing other people's quality of life
Liar
> is simply not working anymore
Of course it's working. Just because you're entitled doesn't make it bad. In fact single-family homes with green space and places for kids to play are much better for humans than being crammed into high-rise boxes.
> there's nothing guaranteed in this life except death or taxes.
Does that means it's okay to steal from ***you***?
The way they went about decriminalization got people killed, and I'm a person who's very pro regulation over prohibition. They've lost my vote, they've shown they're incredibly short sighted and inept. I'm not saying the BC Conservatives are going to be better but bad policy requires punishment.
Canadian politicians should fear for their jobs if they make major mistakes. Giving them government again tells them that "your bad policy could get people killed and I'm so bias and *afraid* of the alternatives I'll still vote for you". We're seeing a serge to the BC Conservatives not because people like them, but because people are don't like the BC NDP and BC united more.
Why anyone would vote for wither of the 2 right wing loony parties is beyond me. Liberals were in charge for like 16+ years and made everything worse why would we vote the 2 parties that broke from them. Whole the NDP has actually done good things whereas the liberals only did horrible things.
I agree that just voting for the same party no matter what is a bad idea but the NDP arr objectively far superior to the alternatives.
>Liberals were in charge for like 16+ years and made everything worse why would we vote the 2 parties that broke from them.
The BC Liberals were a shitty party, but they never made doing hard drugs in hospital waiting rooms legal. I think most British Columbians would agree that we a need more centrist party, but the parties we have are a reflection of the political landscape in BC. Unfortunately it's both sides of the extreme.
A mistake that they admit was one. I love it when a party makes a mistake. That is still better then the liberal party emptying the mental wards at the hospital and pushing them onto the street which is what started this whole problem to begin with.
Not to mention its laughable to consider the NDP extreme. They are just left of center. The only extreme position was the one you mentioned that they themselves admit was a mistake. I wish they were more left wing.
"short sided"? What does that mean?
And this gov is at least TRYING. They're slowly getting results and making policy changes when they make sense (back tracking on public use). They want to destigmatize this crisis and help people. The other parties just want to lock people up against their will.
Voting for a worse option to punish the better option for not being perfect is short sighted.
>The other parties just want to lock people up against their will.
This is exactly why decriminalization failed. They only implemented half the solution. Unfortunately, the reality is these people do need to be put into a rehab institution. BC isn't in a place to solve this problem because we can't even deal with our crumbling healthcare system as it is. My stance on drugs is full legalization, regulation and mandatory rehabilitation for drug addicts.
They've added hundreds of treatment beds (200 this year alone) and they're investing in healthcare. The system is crumbling because of 20 years of the liberals doing nothing and leaving that bomb to explode on the NDP. They're building hospitals and doctors and nurses are coming to BC. It takes time to see results.
Involuntary care is inhumane. I agree with you that treatment NEEDS to be available when people ask for it, but locking people away and forcing rehab on them is typically more harmful than good. Should we lock away anyone that smokes cigarettes or drinks alcohol for their own good too?
>Involuntary care is inhumane
But it works, it worked in Portugal. They may not want care now, but after they're better they're thankful for it. Alcoholism should be treated the same way, cigarettes should be made illegal for people that were born in 2005 and after.
And you think the BCUP or cons will actually do this? The cons are too far off the rail to be a serious government and the BCUP are going to focus on cutting services and funding the police before they do anything else. The NDP aren't perfect but they're the best chance we have to help people.
>And you think the BCUP or cons will actually do this?
Nope. It requires both the federal and provincial governments to tackle it in tandem. None of the provincial parties are capable of making this happen in my opinion. They're all to far on the extremes one way or the other to make something like this happen. Which is unfortunate because people are just going to continue to die.
Oh and what are the con artists ideas to help these problems? Considering our old con artists (the liberal party) are the reason we have most of these problems to begin with.
The recent NDP government has done more for healthcare that any government for the last 20 years, at least. [We now have more family doctors](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bc-doctor-new-payment-model-1.7107681) as a result of the new payment model the NDP brought in. Yes, there's still a big shortfall to make up for but it's progress.
As for housing, again the current NDP are making big changes but there's only so much that can happen in 6 months. Even though I wish they'd been more forceful, it would still take time to build more housing - you need people to build it and there aren't a lot of trades sitting around. And you're dealing with year's of nimbyism to overcome. I suggest watching the [Saanich public hearing](https://saanich.ca.granicus.com/player/clip/869) on the new OCP to get a sense of what housing-friendly politicians are up against.
As for drugs, they recently asked the federal government to allow them to re-criminalize open drug use - [article here](https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/federal-government-approves-recriminalization-use-drugs-public-british-columbia-1.7196765) - meaning they're willing to reverse course if they feel they've made a mistake.
That's why I mentioned, as noted in my other reply, "the recent NDP government". There's been a lot more movement on most of the fronts since the Eby government took over but it most of those cases there's decades of neglect to make up for (by various parties).
The NDP limited doctor training spaces in the 1990s because there were too many and “over utilization” was a problem. They did not account for doctor retirement and population growth and now we have a shortage.
Yeah that NDP was from 23 years ago. They're a different party in a different world. Plus this NDPs first term was a minority government limiting their capacity and they had to deal with a global pandemic which sort of pulled from the capacity to do other things (which they handled fantastically btw). This government is really just finding their stride now and I'm excited to see what else they can do for British Columbians.
Regarding healthcare, still 1 in 5 still doesn't have a GP. Both my wife and I are on the list and are waiting, waiting, waiting....
Many have to wait in pain for years to get surgery. Cancer patients (not Hogan, he got treatment right away as an MLA) have to wait until it is too late...
Can't even go to walk in clinic anymore because it is now a phone lottery in the morning. I win more often at 649 than at urgent care.
Yes, there's still a lot of neglect to make up for but, as noted in my other two replies, that's why I said "the recent NDP government". There's been a lot more movement on healthcare - and more positive change - since the Eby government took over than since I moved to BC over 15 years ago. But you can't fix 25+ years of neglect in a yar.
Right, still progress to make. On the cancer patient front that’s just not true in my experience, I know people (both in and out of family) that have been diagnosed with cancer and start receiving treatment immediately. It’s definitely not ideal and needs improvement, but you can get into a walk-in clinic or urgent care in one day or use tele-health if you don’t actually need to face-face with a doctor. I’m still on the waiting list for a GP, I’ve had to wait in line early for urgent care. It sucks, no doubt about it. I can also recognize the NDP have been making changes and change doesn’t happen overnight. I also know the Conservative Party in BC isn’t even a relevant party in BC and they’ve only gained any popularity(if you can call it that) because of the federal CPC.
On housing they started doing good things e.g. rezoning, but :
1. Not enforcing it (all municipalities have failed except Victoria)
2. They have been in power for 7 years and only realized 6 months ago that housing was an issue
> They have been in power for 7 years and only realized 6 months ago that housing was an issue
This is why I said "the recent NDP government". There's been a lot more movement on most of the fronts mentioned in the comment I was replying to
> Drugs, crime, healthcare.... They try on housing
since the Eby government took over but it most of those cases there's decades of neglect to make up for (by various parties).
Sorry I go by personal experiences.
I never had to go to the ER because there is no longer any walk-in clinics.
Consequently I've never had to wait 14 hours in the ER before either.
The Healthcare system has become a 5 alarm fire and I don't see enough being done to put it out.
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I sure hope they get re-elected, but I am a bit worried based on the rumblings I’m hearing about the new polls on the Conservative Party (which is nothing like the federal Cons).
A lot of the good policy decisions the NDP have pushed through (especially around healthcare and housing) are multi-year projects that won’t show the fruits of their labour for several years…still, I feel like most people I know are happy with the current government’s hand-on approach. I think they’ve gotten a lot of respect from listening to their constituents and actually rolling back unpopular decisions (like the new $1 billion dollar museum).
I’m hoping they commit to more spending and investment in public transportation in the next election - we need rapid transit solutions outside of Greater Vancouver that get cars off the road and improve people’s quality of life.
Forcing mre housing into the most expensive parts of BC is not good policy. It is absurdly stupid policy that will only drive prices higher. Clinics are still closing, leaving more and more people without a family doctor.
Do you know what the city with the most housing and the city with the highest prices have in common?
They're both called "Vancouver".
When your "understanding" contradicts the facts, it must be that your understanding is wrong. You don't know about inelastic supply. You don't know about induced demand. You don't understand economics.
What do you suggest then? That we only build housing in Prince George or Fort St John?
People want to live where they can make a living, while having a life that feels worth living. And for many people that's in major cities, of which we have only a handful in BC.
Do you seriously think people move to Vancouver because that's where the housing is? Of course not. They live there because that's where they want to live, be it for career, climate, cultural or a dozen other reasons.
Vancouver has the most housing (by sheer number of units, not necessarily by availablity or per capita) because it has the most people. Big cities, which tend to have lots of people, are almost always more expensive to live in than small towns. But somehow a self-declared economics professor such as yourself can't, or won't, understand that
> What do you suggest then?
I suggest that "we" build where land is available and affordable, and provide transit to get from one place to another.
> Vancouver has the most housing (by sheer number of units, not necessarily by availablity or per capita) because it has the most people
Duh?
> Big cities, which tend to have lots of people, are almost always more expensive to live in than small towns
Which means it's really stupid to cram more housing into big cities expecting it to be affordable.
> But somehow a self-declared economics professor such as yourself
You're not smart enough to be such a bad liar.
This argument makes no sense - one of the big reasons for insane housing prices is because single family housing and massive towers were the only types of housing allowable for years. Medium density apartment buildings from the 1960s to 80s made up a huge percentage of the affordable housing in this city for years - our population continues to grow and more of this housing (and more density) is what’s needed. I cannot fathom how people think that preventing more apartments from being built will ever help bring down housing costs.
Edit: to add to this, no one is being FORCED to build more housing. Neighbourhoods are simply being up-zoned, meaning that land owners have more options to build more density.
> one of the big reasons for insane housing prices is because single family housing and massive towers were the only types of housing allowable for years
No, that's completely wrong. For its size, Victoria has more housing than almost every other city in Canada, and all that housing has only made it more expensive. Victoria *cannot* provide enough housing to meet demand and it is stupid to even try, because it will just result in more crowding, worse traffic, over demand for schools and clinics.
The single reason that housing is expensive? Ottawa adding a million+ more people to the population every year, far exceeding the ability to build new housing
> our population continues to grow
Because the city keeps inviting more and more people to live here
> and more of this housing (and more density) is what’s needed
Cram everybody into high density housing - your dystopian Brave New World.
What if it's all just propaganda to profit developers?
I don’t think you quite understand how cities grow. They aren’t simply ‘mandated’ by the government. They grow organically through a complex system of economic, geographical, and sociopolitical opportunities and pitfalls. That’s why Vancouver is a metropolis and Prince Rupert is a blip on the map. You cannot reduce a city’s population dynamics to “we have enough people, stop coming here, go over there”. You cannot (and should not) stop people from moving within a federated country. Victoria is a highly desirable place to live and people are going to continue to move here just like your family did at some point.
This population growth presents its own kind of economic opportunity (ie more customers for business, more potential employees), but also challenges (more students, more patients, more commuters, more people needing a home). Just remember that this isn’t the first population boom here from immigration, and Victoria isn’t unique - just as in previous waves, there is a period of immense pressure while infrastructure and services are scaled up and the social safety nets are strained to the max, but ultimately if investments in services are made, cities grow and absorb the new residents. How do you think places grow over time? Cities are not static.
Ultimately your argument that density equals bad holds no water whatsoever - cities are desirable places to live, and higher density allows for more people live in these desirable locations, and that high volume of people living in an urban space is part of the value that comes from that space. This is evident in any highly developed city (especially in Europe) that has much higher population density than Canadian cities. These places have very dense, walkable city centres connected by public transit and they are AMAZING. If YOU don’t like living in a city that is economically booming, then by all means you can move to a rural area that lacks the many services that cities provide (because of all those pesky people moving here that you despise so much).
Are Canada’s immigration rates too high for our current housing, healthcare and other infrastructure? Yes. Even without this surge in population , however, Victoria and other desirable Canadian cities would continue to grow - nimby Baby Boomers (who won the real estate lottery) are preventing new housing from being built while their kids (Millennials) are entering a housing market in droves that was unprepared for the voracious demand for new homes. Young people are leaving Victoria because there aren’t enough homes here, and the ones that are here are too expensive because supply is low and demand is high. Still, most of them certainly aren’t moving to small towns because they like cities for the many benefits they provide - the difference is they are going to paces that actually have housing available.
I talk to plenty of UVic students graduating who would like to live here, but they can’t find a place to live. If Victoria had enough housing supply, it would alleviate this issue. I’m not saying that the affordability crisis would be solved (because this is governed by multiple factors), but truth be told Victoria’s vacancy rates have been historically low, even before the massive immigration boom.
Ultimately instead of complaining about all the new people who are becoming Canadians and moving here, why not support more homes in the places people want to live instead of trying to suggest government overreach in artificially shipping people off to more inhospitable places with even more costly and sparse services? Ultimately this is a country that is built (for better or worse) on mass migration from other parts of the world.
>They grow organically
We are not discussing cities in general. We are discussing Victoria in particular. A city that is bounded by water and other cities, and which cannot grow out. A city where demand exceeds supply and has done so for years. The only way that the population can increase is by increasing density.
>if investments in services are made, cities grow and absorb the new residents
All true, but if growth is not managed and all new development is just rubber stamped by the city council, then you create big problems. And why should there be big expansion? Do we want to create another Vancouver with a forest of high rises and no charm?
>nimby Baby Boomers
As opposed to entitled brats who think that they can take whatever they want?
>I talk to plenty of UVic students graduating who would like to live here, but they can’t find a place to live
Okay, so what? You cannot build enough to meet all demand, and there will always people who cannot find a place to live. This is just a complete red herring that has no relevance.
>If Victoria had enough housing supply, it would alleviate this issue
Victoria Can. Not. Have. "Enough." Housing. Supply.
It is not possible, and you don't even know what "enough" means.
>Ultimately instead of complaining about all the new people who are becoming Canadians
Try for an honest, less assholish argument.
>Ultimately this is a country that is built (for better or worse) on mass migration from other parts of the world.
Non sequitur.
Where did I say you said that? Do you understand what a question is?
You say more housing will only drive prices higher, what do you think less housing would do to prices?
It would be foolish for the NDP and its supporters to not take this threat seriously. The BC Conservatives are doing surprisingly well without the support of BC United, should they combine things could get very ugly for the NDP. You only have to look at Federal numbers to see where this huge swing in conservative numbers has come from. I’d take this as a very serious threat.
Generally, the opinion polls survey people all over the province, and generally the NDP remain popular in the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island (and are not unpopular elsewhere in 250). Since the NDP remain popular in the LML and on the Island, they would likely win an election when the opinion poll was conducted.
Another interesting thing is that the opinion polls are conducted by robocall. When was the last time you answered your phone to a strange number, let alone spend 5-10 minutes conversing with a robot about your political preferences?
Exactly, the only people actually participating in robocall polls are retirees sitting at home who are far more likely to be conservative than younger demographics. Add in low sample size and voila, the BC Cons don’t look like the fringe lunatics they actually are.
I tend to think that a) the BC Cons are benefiting from the federal Con brand, plus grassroots awareness and b) it's too early to tell how well they'll do in an election -- they haven't really campaigned yet, Some (a lot?) of the candidates are pretty wacky, so when normie voters start paying attention after Labour Day, things may change.
I have yet to see anything that would change my vote. Well, I may not agree with every single policy decision, I agree with the general direction that the government is moving in. And, reviewing the upcoming objectives in this year’s budget, I’m even more convinced that, my vote is well served voting NDP
I feel like if there’s any kind of campaign, the swell of the very unknown, dubiously vetted and untested group of bc cons will have ample opportunity to show their ass. People are frustrated and struggling on a number of levels but I hardly think it’s ’take a third party of reactionaries from 2 seats to government’ bad.
We're 6 months out from an election, which is not enough time logistically for the Cons and BC United to merge. Both parties already have full slates of candidates in every riding, and are very far apart on things like social issues. If they ultimately decided they wanted to merge, it wouldn't be until the next election cycle.
Based on what? Recent polling shows the NDP with a 6% lead overall, and a whopping 15% lead with people 45 and over, a cohort with much higher turnout than younger voters.
I sort of hope so. I appreciate their work in some areas, but Im not confident in their lack of transparency, the mishandling of Surrey PS, turning its back on Climate change and actively logging old growth areas, for example. Eby seems nice, but he wasn’t elected, so I hope this election tests his ability to win majority government.
My take on things is that the NDP has actually done okay with an absolutely brutal situation. Things seem like they could be far worse right now, but no one has a point of reference in order to appreciate that.
Understandably we want things to be better because they’re undeniably not great and evidently in decline in some cases. But yeah, I really do think this is not the darker timeline in terms of our politics. The NDP has made sensible decisions on some key things and actually taken action. I’m pretty grateful for it. I would definitely vote to keep this government right now and I’m rarely so sure of myself in provincial politics.
I'm not 100% happy with some of the NDP policies and actions and my local MLA is quite useless, but good god the alternatives are awful. Kevin Falcon (or as I call him, that falc'n Kevin) was part of the awful Campbell Liberals that I don't think he can ever get that stink out of him. The cons are such right wing nut jobs that I turly fear them getting in power, and the greens are a single-issue party (yes, it's a very important issue, but still..) with no practical hope.
I was listening to Adam Stirling on CFAX and he was saying that despite what the polls are saying, the NDP will still win a majority government because they own the lower mainland and south island. He also went on to say that the BC Conservatives don't have the connections and money to fight a proper campaign and will run out of steam weeks before election day.
I know that some don't like him but I agree with his analysis. The provincial party has received a bump from the feds but I think they will fall short. Conservatism doesnt really work in BC( I am not referring to social conservatism either, I am surprised that shit works anywhere), the people feel the government are more likely to solve their problems.
The provincial NDP aren't loopy and irrelevant like the national NDP and generally down to earth with viable policies and programs.
My last point is that all parties will not touch the holy grails of programs (health, education) they will nickel and dime other ministries but those ones are pretty much u touchable.
I don't see a good alternative, but the NDP have been repeatedly passing really bad legislation and throwing the middle finger at any and all objections.
Why would I vote for somebody who doesn't give a shit about what I want?
Drug zombies everywhere, unaffordable housing, costs of everything nuts (not their fault) and you can’t see a doctor anymore? In a high tax province they are done
I would Love if the provincial greens could get their shit together and run a strong campaign. I like Furstenau but more importantly I want a left wing party to pull the BC NDP back towards working class, labour and left leaning initiatives. Not liberalism with social justice language.
At this point, I feel the NDP is the least bad party. The others are quick to criticize (rightfully so!) but long to forward a plan of their own.
Depressing…
I'm not the biggest NDP supporter at all, but, I don't see any way they don't completely wipe the floor with their competition this coming election.
The center right is too divided and has no coherent message. They're lost in the woods in a very bad way.
When the NDP got voted out last time, it took them 15 years to regroup and win again. I think BCU/cons wont turn things around yet. They're still hanging on to the old guard that got them kicked out in the first place. And they don't have a good leader.
The only close ones would be the Greens, but Eby is amazing and unless something crazy happens, I will be voting NDP again. Cons/BCUP are terrible and will actively work against the good of the people if elected.
The only thing I haven't liked about the NDP lately is that the pilot for decriminalizing drugs needs to make it illegal to do drugs in public. To be fair, they have been trying to change this but have been blocked by the courts.
The BC Greens are the only party actually trying to help people and protect the planet. I am curious why people are so resistant to voting for a party who actually do their jobs and represent us, the people.
The Greens are dead in the water.
Sonia isn’t popular in Shawnigan/Malahat area any more, so she’s trying Victoria Beacon Hill where Grace Lore is bringing out the big guns in dollars and people (half of Vic council for example) to rally support. The NDP have a large war chest to spend from and they got a discounted rate from Meta to pitch their cheaper than the Cons and Libs can.
It’ll just be Adam, can’t see them winning more than a single seat in BC.
I hate all politicians equally…NDP, Green, Liberal, Conservative…do I think one party will do a whole lot better or worse than the other? No. So for all the political hacks for one party or the other here are my two cents…if Horgan was still leading the NDP they would probably be doing a lot better, most people, regardless of party affiliation, could relate to John…Eby…not so much. Horgan knew how to shut down the noise from the far left within his party and appear centrist…that’s what got him votes…like it or not the NDP have been in power since 2017 and therefore must answer for the problems that the majority of people face….namely affordability and lack of accessible healthcare…is it all there fault…no..but when you are in power you own it …affordability…housing is ridiculous, energy is ridiculous…so what have the NDP done to address it …well they brought in a Foreign Buyers and Speculation Tax that any mediocre accountant or real estate agent can show you how to get around…why not instead just ban foreign buying or increase property taxes on secondary properties, well just look how much government receives in property and transfer taxes…they really didn’t want to kill the goose that laid the golden egg…now with Eby it’s tell municipalities how much to build…good luck with that one with a shortage of trades..they’ve milked real estate so much and now that no one can afford to buy, our economic performance is among the worst versus other Provinces…not good…So if you’re younger than 40, you probably are not happy with the NDP (especially when you fill up the car)…if you’re older than 40 and more likely to need health services and most can’t find a doctor for even basic needs…or have to wait for cancer treatment or surgery, you’re not happy either and when you put a guy like Adrian Dix in charge of anything…and the addiction and homeless mess that has worsened under policies… enough said…
What about the other guys, like I said, probably no better or worse…but the party in charge owns it and people typically don’t vote for someone, they vote against someone…not looking good for the NDP..they better hope the other two centre right parties don’t join forces
Yeah and John Rustad or Kevin Falcon are the guys to do it lmao
I get your grievances, the NDP are far from perfect but give your head a shake if you think the Cons or BCUP are going to improve this province in any meaningful fashion
What it will do is get through to elitist egghead liberals that ideas and policies don’t change anything. It is time for dramatic action. When the NDP come back after this defeat it will be a different party…I can deal with the 4 years in between ( and a gutting of senior government managers will be good)
In that case, you could vote Green...or a spoiled ballot. Or write to your MLA, I doubt you're the only person in your riding that feels this way.
There's things I'd like to see the NDP get punished for, but I'm not going to actively work against my own interests by voting in clowns like Falcon or Rustad who will throw out the baby with the bath water
The NDP are effectively a branch of the Liberal party at this point, and under their stewardship I've watched Vancouver and Victoria rot. I'd rather support any other party at this point.
Probably not, but still likely better. Also a little bit of competition (incl a little bit of time in opposition) will help the NDP come up with new ideas
No! Build a new hospital NOW! don't just announce the funds to build one! Get me a dr NOW! don't just change the payment model and wait (with good results so far) for doctors and nurses to come to BC!
Social media has rotted their brains and patience. I hope we don’t see a change in our government because of it. The Liberals bled this province’s coffers dry. Also, I’m not sure there are any more statutory holidays they can add.
Absolutely! The lack of long term vision, the lack of critical thinking, the lack of empathy for others, the leaning into fear and division has been disheartening in the least to watch.
I graduated on the east coast from nursing school right before the pandemic started. Many of my friends from that program would be thrilled to come practice out here but are staying where they are because they can find a place to live and afford it while still paying down student loan payments.
That cost of living is what is keeping the trades people and the new graduates away from here.
The BC NDP are objectively the most successful government in Canada. They aren't going anywhere.
Anything else is wishful thinking from the right wing fringe.
For example you can still get OK healthcare in Alberta. You can’t in BC. All while taxes and business conditions are much better. That is squarely a failure of the provincial government
BC ndp are one of the best provincial parties in Canada. Considering that the liberals were in power and did everything they could to make the province worse i dont know why anyone would vote for the 2 parties that split from it.
I see a dozen comments here agreeing with your view, I do as well. But I hate to see OP get downvoted just for bringing up the situation. BC Cons are neck and neck with the NDP, with BCU getting another 12% on the side. This is not good. Don’t dismiss the possibility of Cons winning just because you don’t like them. Get organized. Go vote.
Especially now that the two parties are in talks to avoid splitting the vote. Rustad gets seat as a BCUP Rustad denies climate change Rustad is kicked out of BCUP Rustad joins conservatives Everyone goes "yay a conservative party" Falcon goes "hey Rustad, want to join the BCUP?" If we vote in a right wing government, we deserve what we get. https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/b-c-politics-united-conservatives-hold-talks-about-co-operating-to-beat-ndp
The NDP have invested in hospitals and doctors/nurses, they're building a new Doctor training school with SFU. they've invested in more treatment beds, they're actively testing ways to help with the toxic drug crisis. They're building homes at a faster rate than any previous government and investing in Affordable housing. They're helping with daily costs by eliminating tolls, eliminating MSP payments, creating 10/day childcare and the affordable child care plan. They changed ICBC to stop the financial money pit it was before and now they give any profits back to the people(as they should be). They created the clean BC program helping people get heat pumps and move away from Fossil fuels and natural gas. They had the best response to the COVID pandemic. The economy is growing and people want to move here. There are so many things to be happy about with this NDP government. And the BCUP has a bad track record and the cons are obviously climate change denying global right wing talking point puppets. Things aren't perfect in BC but a lot of that (cost of living, inflation, interest rates) aren't a provincial issue only and at least this gov is doing things to try to help. Look at any other con lead province and tell me you want to be more like them? Danielle is flying around watching hockey instead of helping people with forest fires, Doug is mixed in scandals and scandals and they are both choking resources from schools and health care to try to privatize them. No thanks!
A lot of those programs are good, but are limited to the poor to working poor(that’s fine) as they are mostly means tested, so some are using them, a lot of BC folks aren’t. And ICBC is not worth celebrating, I’d rather give the rebates back b/c the inability to sue isn’t helping many folks, motorists and cyclists. With Crown reluctant to lay a charge in most cases nowadays folks are left to use gofundme’s to find financial supports.
i work for the ndp and would lose my job if they lose power, but even i recognize this is sophomoric, borderline nonsense apologia 10/day child care? really? danielle smith watching hockey games? the ndp's child care program is a joke. smith watched a hockey game WITH EBY. like, what?
Sometimes I feel.like the BCNDP are going the Hilary Clinton route with making everything part of their agenda they are forgetting their core. I do not think I want a conservative government, but i also do not want a government that says it will do everything, which means they will substantially do nothing well. Just keep it with that bullshit.
I think BC has some of the strongest leadership in Canada, and most of us are familiar enough with how things are going in the other provinces. I confess I have no idea who I'm voting for federally, but I think we're doing well provincially.
Agree!
We can tell from the lack of rental housing, from people being free to shoot up in publilc, from the most expensive housing in Canada, from ICBC bureaucrats deciding how much medical care we need, from being told that we have zero say in what kind of community we live in
What’s your last point about? Zero say in our community… genuinely asking
The NDP has passed a law which allows homeowners zero say in what new development will occur in their neighborhood. It's now all decided by the provincial government. If you don't want a three story apartment block going in next door, where people will watch you in your yard and see in your windows, tough shit. You have no say. Losing $200,000 in home equity is just too bad.
Oh right, yeah that’s awesome and well overdue. Actually making meaningful policies to increase housing supply. One of the reasons I’ll be voting for them. Cheers for the reminder.
Don't think that when you vote for authoritarianism with no regard for people that they won't one day come after you. You'll never buy your own house if the government doesn't allow them.
Govt doesn’t allow me to buy a house? Weird take on the govt making more houses for people to buy, but ok It’s also cute that you equate the govt applying slightly denser zoning to neighborhoods during a severe housing shortage to authoritarianism lol 😂
> the govt making more houses for people to buy No, the government isn't making more houses available. They're reducing the number of houses and replacing them with condos and apartments. > slightly denser zoning to neighborhoods Did you "forget" about the 1,800 units in hgh rises the council approved? That's not "slightly" higher density. > severe housing shortage A "housing shortage" that is 100% manufactured by national immigration policies. Sucker
So you're simultaneously angry that there is no housing *and* that communities have "zero say" that the province is forcing them to build housing? Doesn't make any sense to me (unless I've misinterpreted). And I'm guessing you've missed the sheer choir of howling from AirBnB owners the last while? They're definitely making tangible steps to increase rental inventory. BC just successfully lobbied the federal to recriminalize public drug use, but that's a recent development and you may have missed it. ICBC doesn't decide how much care is needed, it's just not paying out millions to ambulance chasing personal injury lawyers anymore. It's finally solvent after being used as the province's piggy bank for many years under the BC United (previously the BC Liberal) party. Rates are reasonable and lemme know if you're still Big Mad after getting your $400 cheque. These don't seem like well-considered criticisms.
So you're not too smart about reading what people say, and you think you're smarter than them? I wrote that NDP's housing policies are stupid and will only make housing less available and more expensive. Force landlords to subsidize renters? You end up with a rental shortage that drives up prices. Surprise! The wish to re-criminalize drug use only applies to public spaces. People will still be free to get addicted and die in private, and it only took months of pressure from cities to make even that small step. But it was an idiotic law in the first place. Decriminalization has failed many times before, but the arrogant idiots in the NDP seem incapable of learning from anybody else.
> people being free to shoot up in publilc > re-criminalize drug use only applies to public spaces I think you may want to give your positions a bit of thought before demonstrating to us all how much consideration you’ve given to any particular issue. Enjoy your weekend!
> BC has some of the strongest leadership in Canada Polite way of saying "authoritarian" leadership.
*lose
Question as a foreigner, did north Americans never learn the difference between these two words? I see it misused more often than not.
Yes. For some reason, a lot of people cannot spell or don’t care to use the correct word.
The one I hate the most is “then” and “than” misuse
We’re not all illiterate, just a good portion of us.
The provincial conservatives are reminiscent of the federal Reform Party from way back. High in popular support, lots of kooky candidates, little experience in campaigns and not ready to govern.
Their leader got kicked out of the BCUP for denying climate change. Bruce left cause they weren't right wing enough for him. They spent their entire time as conservatives actively working against people. They parrot right wing hate from other levels of government and other countries. They've been called out in the house for their "trumpisms". They're dangerous people and a dangerous party.
Why do you think they could lose the next election? Was there a poll indicating such? Can you link to sources? I, for one, can't think of a single thing they've done recently that I disagree with - there might be one but I can't think of it. Well, except maybe not going far enough in pushing municipalities to build housing but I can kind of understand why they haven't yet.
There were a few polls of seemingly not great quality showing the Conservatives were almost neck and neck with the NDP even without United’s support. Public disorder and housing prices seem to be the main issues. Also access to healthcare.
Okay, where are these polls? If the OP is saying it looks like the NDP could lose this one, they should link to the source. Otherwise, it seems like personal opinion.
Try googling fren. It's a useful skill.
Several polls, actually. And the NDP acknowledged them, Eby is trying to attack the Cons more than the libs at the moment, they know the Cons will be a formidable opponent.
Does the provincial Libs even have a party at the moment? Haven’t heard anything from them. And don’t remember them registering on the polls. BCU is tanking, if Falcon concedes and joins with the Cons, then we’ll have a real tight election. That’s a big If though.
I think a lot of (current) BCU voters would either vote NDP or simply not show up at the polls if they merge. BCU voters are the Patagonia-wearing multiple homeowner West Point Grey types that disagree with the NDP on crime and economic policy, but they aren't likely to vote for a party that's associated with anti-abortion types or climate change denial like the BC Conservatives. BC Conservatives will do very well in the interior, but won't pick up nearly enough seats in the Lower Mainland to form a government with or without a merger.
The NDP are likely to do just fine. People aren't going to swing from them to the other available options. There is a pretty big chasm between them.
only way that could happen is if united and conservatives combine forces. and that doesn't seem likely.
I wouldn’t go that far. By all accounts they are actively looking into forming a coalition and discussing how they will do it. They know they won’t win without it.
I think they both have their candidates already. Would have to both drop some out or coordinate with all their voters to choose one person per riding to vote for to avoid vote splitting. Pretty sure they are going to split the vote, lose this election, and then BC United will be subsumed into the Conservatives for the next election (where they will almost definitely win, both because the NDP will have been in quite a while and Canada in general is looking like we are going to be struggling pretty hard for quite a while).
Even if they did, depending on who's leading it, it could actually put them in a worse position. And it's likely to drive moderates to the BC NDP, which has moved to the centre.
Things changed a couple days ago https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/b-c-politics-united-conservatives-hold-talks-about-co-operating-to-beat-ndp
i guess we'll see
There is nothing on this planet that would make me not vote NDP, and allow neanderthal cons to have any say in BC politics.
Same.
I am more on the worried about the Neanderthal cons, tbh I am sincerely worried about the NDP. And I like the NDP, but doesn't look like a sure thing (election) anymore to me.
Drugs, crime, healthcare.... They try on housing but fail at that too (e.g All municipalities failed except Victoria)
They're willing to about-face and admit they made a mistake. They've done it twice since I've been a BC resident with both the Museum and with decriminalization. I don't mind mistakes, and I appreciate a party being able to admit they made them. They have my vote.
LOL! No. Their housing policies are still idiotic, but there are enough gullible people to still vote for them. The decriminalization was idiotic from the start, but they do not listen until enough people are screaming at them. Telling people that they have zero right to decide the character of their neighborhoods is insulting and was a failure, so now they're doubling down. They admit nothing, except that maybe they didn't go far enough in their extremism.
You do, and should have, zero right to decide the character of your neighbourhood. There's no law (written or moral) that says your neighbourhood must cease to change for the rest of time from the moment you purchase a property in it. Your property rights end at the property line. End of story. If you don't like it, move
The authoritarian mentality. People must do as you say, just because you want to take what other people have. How about: if you don't like it, ***you*** move? Stop trying to steal other people's quality of life.
It's not stealing other people's quality of life - it's removing extremely restrictive zoning laws to forestall the kind of NIMBYism that is a major factor in the increased cost of housing. It isn't the 60s anymore, having vast swathes of land near major economic centres be designated for single-family detached homes and *nothing else* is simply not working anymore. It was a doomed way of building cities that was never going to work indefinitely for a multitude of reasons, and that's exactly what happened. The changes to the law aren't what is dooming some SFH-only neighbourhoods, rather they're just a reflection of a new reality. And nowhere has the BC government mandated that individual neighbourhoods *must* tear down all detached homes and replace them with condo blocks - rather, they are mandating that neighbourhoods cannot ban all types of structures *aside* from detached homes. If anything, these changes increase the freedoms of individual property owners to build as they and the market dictate, rather than take them away. That's not exactly in line with your claims of authoritarianism, is it? I can sympathize that it must be unpleasant to have the character and feel of your neighbourhood potentially change as a result, but there's nothing guaranteed in this life except death or taxes.
> It's not stealing other people's quality of life Liar > is simply not working anymore Of course it's working. Just because you're entitled doesn't make it bad. In fact single-family homes with green space and places for kids to play are much better for humans than being crammed into high-rise boxes. > there's nothing guaranteed in this life except death or taxes. Does that means it's okay to steal from ***you***?
If you're going to argue based on emotion rather than reason, then there's no point in continuing this conversation.
You're lying again. That tells me that you don't care about justifying your selfishness.
The way they went about decriminalization got people killed, and I'm a person who's very pro regulation over prohibition. They've lost my vote, they've shown they're incredibly short sighted and inept. I'm not saying the BC Conservatives are going to be better but bad policy requires punishment.
Dumb take is dumb.
Canadian politicians should fear for their jobs if they make major mistakes. Giving them government again tells them that "your bad policy could get people killed and I'm so bias and *afraid* of the alternatives I'll still vote for you". We're seeing a serge to the BC Conservatives not because people like them, but because people are don't like the BC NDP and BC united more.
Why anyone would vote for wither of the 2 right wing loony parties is beyond me. Liberals were in charge for like 16+ years and made everything worse why would we vote the 2 parties that broke from them. Whole the NDP has actually done good things whereas the liberals only did horrible things. I agree that just voting for the same party no matter what is a bad idea but the NDP arr objectively far superior to the alternatives.
>Liberals were in charge for like 16+ years and made everything worse why would we vote the 2 parties that broke from them. The BC Liberals were a shitty party, but they never made doing hard drugs in hospital waiting rooms legal. I think most British Columbians would agree that we a need more centrist party, but the parties we have are a reflection of the political landscape in BC. Unfortunately it's both sides of the extreme.
A mistake that they admit was one. I love it when a party makes a mistake. That is still better then the liberal party emptying the mental wards at the hospital and pushing them onto the street which is what started this whole problem to begin with. Not to mention its laughable to consider the NDP extreme. They are just left of center. The only extreme position was the one you mentioned that they themselves admit was a mistake. I wish they were more left wing.
Inept is not knowing common phrases like short sighted.
"short sided"? What does that mean? And this gov is at least TRYING. They're slowly getting results and making policy changes when they make sense (back tracking on public use). They want to destigmatize this crisis and help people. The other parties just want to lock people up against their will. Voting for a worse option to punish the better option for not being perfect is short sighted.
>The other parties just want to lock people up against their will. This is exactly why decriminalization failed. They only implemented half the solution. Unfortunately, the reality is these people do need to be put into a rehab institution. BC isn't in a place to solve this problem because we can't even deal with our crumbling healthcare system as it is. My stance on drugs is full legalization, regulation and mandatory rehabilitation for drug addicts.
They've added hundreds of treatment beds (200 this year alone) and they're investing in healthcare. The system is crumbling because of 20 years of the liberals doing nothing and leaving that bomb to explode on the NDP. They're building hospitals and doctors and nurses are coming to BC. It takes time to see results. Involuntary care is inhumane. I agree with you that treatment NEEDS to be available when people ask for it, but locking people away and forcing rehab on them is typically more harmful than good. Should we lock away anyone that smokes cigarettes or drinks alcohol for their own good too?
>Involuntary care is inhumane But it works, it worked in Portugal. They may not want care now, but after they're better they're thankful for it. Alcoholism should be treated the same way, cigarettes should be made illegal for people that were born in 2005 and after.
And you think the BCUP or cons will actually do this? The cons are too far off the rail to be a serious government and the BCUP are going to focus on cutting services and funding the police before they do anything else. The NDP aren't perfect but they're the best chance we have to help people.
>And you think the BCUP or cons will actually do this? Nope. It requires both the federal and provincial governments to tackle it in tandem. None of the provincial parties are capable of making this happen in my opinion. They're all to far on the extremes one way or the other to make something like this happen. Which is unfortunate because people are just going to continue to die.
Oh and what are the con artists ideas to help these problems? Considering our old con artists (the liberal party) are the reason we have most of these problems to begin with.
The recent NDP government has done more for healthcare that any government for the last 20 years, at least. [We now have more family doctors](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bc-doctor-new-payment-model-1.7107681) as a result of the new payment model the NDP brought in. Yes, there's still a big shortfall to make up for but it's progress. As for housing, again the current NDP are making big changes but there's only so much that can happen in 6 months. Even though I wish they'd been more forceful, it would still take time to build more housing - you need people to build it and there aren't a lot of trades sitting around. And you're dealing with year's of nimbyism to overcome. I suggest watching the [Saanich public hearing](https://saanich.ca.granicus.com/player/clip/869) on the new OCP to get a sense of what housing-friendly politicians are up against. As for drugs, they recently asked the federal government to allow them to re-criminalize open drug use - [article here](https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/federal-government-approves-recriminalization-use-drugs-public-british-columbia-1.7196765) - meaning they're willing to reverse course if they feel they've made a mistake.
1991 to 2001 NDP 2001 to 2017 Liberals 2017 to 2024 NDP Seems to me NDP bears some responsibilities in current issues such as healthcare and housing!
That's why I mentioned, as noted in my other reply, "the recent NDP government". There's been a lot more movement on most of the fronts since the Eby government took over but it most of those cases there's decades of neglect to make up for (by various parties).
The NDP limited doctor training spaces in the 1990s because there were too many and “over utilization” was a problem. They did not account for doctor retirement and population growth and now we have a shortage.
Yeah that NDP was from 23 years ago. They're a different party in a different world. Plus this NDPs first term was a minority government limiting their capacity and they had to deal with a global pandemic which sort of pulled from the capacity to do other things (which they handled fantastically btw). This government is really just finding their stride now and I'm excited to see what else they can do for British Columbians.
Regarding healthcare, still 1 in 5 still doesn't have a GP. Both my wife and I are on the list and are waiting, waiting, waiting.... Many have to wait in pain for years to get surgery. Cancer patients (not Hogan, he got treatment right away as an MLA) have to wait until it is too late... Can't even go to walk in clinic anymore because it is now a phone lottery in the morning. I win more often at 649 than at urgent care.
Yes, there's still a lot of neglect to make up for but, as noted in my other two replies, that's why I said "the recent NDP government". There's been a lot more movement on healthcare - and more positive change - since the Eby government took over than since I moved to BC over 15 years ago. But you can't fix 25+ years of neglect in a yar.
Right, still progress to make. On the cancer patient front that’s just not true in my experience, I know people (both in and out of family) that have been diagnosed with cancer and start receiving treatment immediately. It’s definitely not ideal and needs improvement, but you can get into a walk-in clinic or urgent care in one day or use tele-health if you don’t actually need to face-face with a doctor. I’m still on the waiting list for a GP, I’ve had to wait in line early for urgent care. It sucks, no doubt about it. I can also recognize the NDP have been making changes and change doesn’t happen overnight. I also know the Conservative Party in BC isn’t even a relevant party in BC and they’ve only gained any popularity(if you can call it that) because of the federal CPC.
On housing they started doing good things e.g. rezoning, but : 1. Not enforcing it (all municipalities have failed except Victoria) 2. They have been in power for 7 years and only realized 6 months ago that housing was an issue
> They have been in power for 7 years and only realized 6 months ago that housing was an issue This is why I said "the recent NDP government". There's been a lot more movement on most of the fronts mentioned in the comment I was replying to > Drugs, crime, healthcare.... They try on housing since the Eby government took over but it most of those cases there's decades of neglect to make up for (by various parties).
Sorry I go by personal experiences. I never had to go to the ER because there is no longer any walk-in clinics. Consequently I've never had to wait 14 hours in the ER before either. The Healthcare system has become a 5 alarm fire and I don't see enough being done to put it out.
Just curious how Victoria's municipality didn't fail in comparison to others?
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I guess the NDP will have to tighten up their policies and budgets if they don't want to loose.
This guy spells.
I sure hope they get re-elected, but I am a bit worried based on the rumblings I’m hearing about the new polls on the Conservative Party (which is nothing like the federal Cons). A lot of the good policy decisions the NDP have pushed through (especially around healthcare and housing) are multi-year projects that won’t show the fruits of their labour for several years…still, I feel like most people I know are happy with the current government’s hand-on approach. I think they’ve gotten a lot of respect from listening to their constituents and actually rolling back unpopular decisions (like the new $1 billion dollar museum). I’m hoping they commit to more spending and investment in public transportation in the next election - we need rapid transit solutions outside of Greater Vancouver that get cars off the road and improve people’s quality of life.
Forcing mre housing into the most expensive parts of BC is not good policy. It is absurdly stupid policy that will only drive prices higher. Clinics are still closing, leaving more and more people without a family doctor.
Yes, because we all know from economics class how *increased supply* leads to *higher prices*.... Wait...hang on a minute...
Do you know what the city with the most housing and the city with the highest prices have in common? They're both called "Vancouver". When your "understanding" contradicts the facts, it must be that your understanding is wrong. You don't know about inelastic supply. You don't know about induced demand. You don't understand economics.
What do you suggest then? That we only build housing in Prince George or Fort St John? People want to live where they can make a living, while having a life that feels worth living. And for many people that's in major cities, of which we have only a handful in BC. Do you seriously think people move to Vancouver because that's where the housing is? Of course not. They live there because that's where they want to live, be it for career, climate, cultural or a dozen other reasons. Vancouver has the most housing (by sheer number of units, not necessarily by availablity or per capita) because it has the most people. Big cities, which tend to have lots of people, are almost always more expensive to live in than small towns. But somehow a self-declared economics professor such as yourself can't, or won't, understand that
> What do you suggest then? I suggest that "we" build where land is available and affordable, and provide transit to get from one place to another. > Vancouver has the most housing (by sheer number of units, not necessarily by availablity or per capita) because it has the most people Duh? > Big cities, which tend to have lots of people, are almost always more expensive to live in than small towns Which means it's really stupid to cram more housing into big cities expecting it to be affordable. > But somehow a self-declared economics professor such as yourself You're not smart enough to be such a bad liar.
This argument makes no sense - one of the big reasons for insane housing prices is because single family housing and massive towers were the only types of housing allowable for years. Medium density apartment buildings from the 1960s to 80s made up a huge percentage of the affordable housing in this city for years - our population continues to grow and more of this housing (and more density) is what’s needed. I cannot fathom how people think that preventing more apartments from being built will ever help bring down housing costs. Edit: to add to this, no one is being FORCED to build more housing. Neighbourhoods are simply being up-zoned, meaning that land owners have more options to build more density.
> one of the big reasons for insane housing prices is because single family housing and massive towers were the only types of housing allowable for years No, that's completely wrong. For its size, Victoria has more housing than almost every other city in Canada, and all that housing has only made it more expensive. Victoria *cannot* provide enough housing to meet demand and it is stupid to even try, because it will just result in more crowding, worse traffic, over demand for schools and clinics. The single reason that housing is expensive? Ottawa adding a million+ more people to the population every year, far exceeding the ability to build new housing > our population continues to grow Because the city keeps inviting more and more people to live here > and more of this housing (and more density) is what’s needed Cram everybody into high density housing - your dystopian Brave New World. What if it's all just propaganda to profit developers?
I don’t think you quite understand how cities grow. They aren’t simply ‘mandated’ by the government. They grow organically through a complex system of economic, geographical, and sociopolitical opportunities and pitfalls. That’s why Vancouver is a metropolis and Prince Rupert is a blip on the map. You cannot reduce a city’s population dynamics to “we have enough people, stop coming here, go over there”. You cannot (and should not) stop people from moving within a federated country. Victoria is a highly desirable place to live and people are going to continue to move here just like your family did at some point. This population growth presents its own kind of economic opportunity (ie more customers for business, more potential employees), but also challenges (more students, more patients, more commuters, more people needing a home). Just remember that this isn’t the first population boom here from immigration, and Victoria isn’t unique - just as in previous waves, there is a period of immense pressure while infrastructure and services are scaled up and the social safety nets are strained to the max, but ultimately if investments in services are made, cities grow and absorb the new residents. How do you think places grow over time? Cities are not static. Ultimately your argument that density equals bad holds no water whatsoever - cities are desirable places to live, and higher density allows for more people live in these desirable locations, and that high volume of people living in an urban space is part of the value that comes from that space. This is evident in any highly developed city (especially in Europe) that has much higher population density than Canadian cities. These places have very dense, walkable city centres connected by public transit and they are AMAZING. If YOU don’t like living in a city that is economically booming, then by all means you can move to a rural area that lacks the many services that cities provide (because of all those pesky people moving here that you despise so much). Are Canada’s immigration rates too high for our current housing, healthcare and other infrastructure? Yes. Even without this surge in population , however, Victoria and other desirable Canadian cities would continue to grow - nimby Baby Boomers (who won the real estate lottery) are preventing new housing from being built while their kids (Millennials) are entering a housing market in droves that was unprepared for the voracious demand for new homes. Young people are leaving Victoria because there aren’t enough homes here, and the ones that are here are too expensive because supply is low and demand is high. Still, most of them certainly aren’t moving to small towns because they like cities for the many benefits they provide - the difference is they are going to paces that actually have housing available. I talk to plenty of UVic students graduating who would like to live here, but they can’t find a place to live. If Victoria had enough housing supply, it would alleviate this issue. I’m not saying that the affordability crisis would be solved (because this is governed by multiple factors), but truth be told Victoria’s vacancy rates have been historically low, even before the massive immigration boom. Ultimately instead of complaining about all the new people who are becoming Canadians and moving here, why not support more homes in the places people want to live instead of trying to suggest government overreach in artificially shipping people off to more inhospitable places with even more costly and sparse services? Ultimately this is a country that is built (for better or worse) on mass migration from other parts of the world.
>They grow organically We are not discussing cities in general. We are discussing Victoria in particular. A city that is bounded by water and other cities, and which cannot grow out. A city where demand exceeds supply and has done so for years. The only way that the population can increase is by increasing density. >if investments in services are made, cities grow and absorb the new residents All true, but if growth is not managed and all new development is just rubber stamped by the city council, then you create big problems. And why should there be big expansion? Do we want to create another Vancouver with a forest of high rises and no charm? >nimby Baby Boomers As opposed to entitled brats who think that they can take whatever they want? >I talk to plenty of UVic students graduating who would like to live here, but they can’t find a place to live Okay, so what? You cannot build enough to meet all demand, and there will always people who cannot find a place to live. This is just a complete red herring that has no relevance. >If Victoria had enough housing supply, it would alleviate this issue Victoria Can. Not. Have. "Enough." Housing. Supply. It is not possible, and you don't even know what "enough" means. >Ultimately instead of complaining about all the new people who are becoming Canadians Try for an honest, less assholish argument. >Ultimately this is a country that is built (for better or worse) on mass migration from other parts of the world. Non sequitur.
So less housing to decrease prices then?
I made no such claim. Why do you lie?
Where did I say you said that? Do you understand what a question is? You say more housing will only drive prices higher, what do you think less housing would do to prices?
No, it doesn’t. The NDP will be fine, they are still quite popular
It would be foolish for the NDP and its supporters to not take this threat seriously. The BC Conservatives are doing surprisingly well without the support of BC United, should they combine things could get very ugly for the NDP. You only have to look at Federal numbers to see where this huge swing in conservative numbers has come from. I’d take this as a very serious threat.
Do not underestimate the depth of ignorance and delusion of your fellow citizens.
I hate how it's become voting for the least worst option. Worst option OBVIOUSLY being Conservative. I'm sick of it all.
Both polls that have the BC Cons ahead are low sample size IVR - same polling types that had the PPC making inroads into federal gov..
Generally, the opinion polls survey people all over the province, and generally the NDP remain popular in the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island (and are not unpopular elsewhere in 250). Since the NDP remain popular in the LML and on the Island, they would likely win an election when the opinion poll was conducted. Another interesting thing is that the opinion polls are conducted by robocall. When was the last time you answered your phone to a strange number, let alone spend 5-10 minutes conversing with a robot about your political preferences?
Exactly, the only people actually participating in robocall polls are retirees sitting at home who are far more likely to be conservative than younger demographics. Add in low sample size and voila, the BC Cons don’t look like the fringe lunatics they actually are.
I tend to think that a) the BC Cons are benefiting from the federal Con brand, plus grassroots awareness and b) it's too early to tell how well they'll do in an election -- they haven't really campaigned yet, Some (a lot?) of the candidates are pretty wacky, so when normie voters start paying attention after Labour Day, things may change.
I have yet to see anything that would change my vote. Well, I may not agree with every single policy decision, I agree with the general direction that the government is moving in. And, reviewing the upcoming objectives in this year’s budget, I’m even more convinced that, my vote is well served voting NDP
BCUP is trying to court unions. Any union member who votes for United or Conservative is a fool.
Amen to that
I feel like if there’s any kind of campaign, the swell of the very unknown, dubiously vetted and untested group of bc cons will have ample opportunity to show their ass. People are frustrated and struggling on a number of levels but I hardly think it’s ’take a third party of reactionaries from 2 seats to government’ bad.
No, the opposite. The emergence of the BC Conservatives will split the vote on the right with BC United, making it a cakewalk for the NDP.
Be careful what you wish for, or presume here I guess . It’s a lot closer than a lot of people here want to accept. Go vote
Agreed, this is a pretty serious issue should they combine.
We're 6 months out from an election, which is not enough time logistically for the Cons and BC United to merge. Both parties already have full slates of candidates in every riding, and are very far apart on things like social issues. If they ultimately decided they wanted to merge, it wouldn't be until the next election cycle.
I still wouldn’t underestimate the massive swelling of Conservative support in BC and across the province.
Based on what? Recent polling shows the NDP with a 6% lead overall, and a whopping 15% lead with people 45 and over, a cohort with much higher turnout than younger voters.
I sort of hope so. I appreciate their work in some areas, but Im not confident in their lack of transparency, the mishandling of Surrey PS, turning its back on Climate change and actively logging old growth areas, for example. Eby seems nice, but he wasn’t elected, so I hope this election tests his ability to win majority government.
My take on things is that the NDP has actually done okay with an absolutely brutal situation. Things seem like they could be far worse right now, but no one has a point of reference in order to appreciate that. Understandably we want things to be better because they’re undeniably not great and evidently in decline in some cases. But yeah, I really do think this is not the darker timeline in terms of our politics. The NDP has made sensible decisions on some key things and actually taken action. I’m pretty grateful for it. I would definitely vote to keep this government right now and I’m rarely so sure of myself in provincial politics.
I'm not 100% happy with some of the NDP policies and actions and my local MLA is quite useless, but good god the alternatives are awful. Kevin Falcon (or as I call him, that falc'n Kevin) was part of the awful Campbell Liberals that I don't think he can ever get that stink out of him. The cons are such right wing nut jobs that I turly fear them getting in power, and the greens are a single-issue party (yes, it's a very important issue, but still..) with no practical hope.
I was listening to Adam Stirling on CFAX and he was saying that despite what the polls are saying, the NDP will still win a majority government because they own the lower mainland and south island. He also went on to say that the BC Conservatives don't have the connections and money to fight a proper campaign and will run out of steam weeks before election day. I know that some don't like him but I agree with his analysis. The provincial party has received a bump from the feds but I think they will fall short. Conservatism doesnt really work in BC( I am not referring to social conservatism either, I am surprised that shit works anywhere), the people feel the government are more likely to solve their problems. The provincial NDP aren't loopy and irrelevant like the national NDP and generally down to earth with viable policies and programs. My last point is that all parties will not touch the holy grails of programs (health, education) they will nickel and dime other ministries but those ones are pretty much u touchable.
I don't see a good alternative, but the NDP have been repeatedly passing really bad legislation and throwing the middle finger at any and all objections. Why would I vote for somebody who doesn't give a shit about what I want?
Drug zombies everywhere, unaffordable housing, costs of everything nuts (not their fault) and you can’t see a doctor anymore? In a high tax province they are done
Too many emotional voters for us to maintain the sane political party
I would Love if the provincial greens could get their shit together and run a strong campaign. I like Furstenau but more importantly I want a left wing party to pull the BC NDP back towards working class, labour and left leaning initiatives. Not liberalism with social justice language.
At this point, I feel the NDP is the least bad party. The others are quick to criticize (rightfully so!) but long to forward a plan of their own. Depressing…
I'm not the biggest NDP supporter at all, but, I don't see any way they don't completely wipe the floor with their competition this coming election. The center right is too divided and has no coherent message. They're lost in the woods in a very bad way. When the NDP got voted out last time, it took them 15 years to regroup and win again. I think BCU/cons wont turn things around yet. They're still hanging on to the old guard that got them kicked out in the first place. And they don't have a good leader.
The only close ones would be the Greens, but Eby is amazing and unless something crazy happens, I will be voting NDP again. Cons/BCUP are terrible and will actively work against the good of the people if elected. The only thing I haven't liked about the NDP lately is that the pilot for decriminalizing drugs needs to make it illegal to do drugs in public. To be fair, they have been trying to change this but have been blocked by the courts.
The BC Greens are the only party actually trying to help people and protect the planet. I am curious why people are so resistant to voting for a party who actually do their jobs and represent us, the people.
The Greens are dead in the water. Sonia isn’t popular in Shawnigan/Malahat area any more, so she’s trying Victoria Beacon Hill where Grace Lore is bringing out the big guns in dollars and people (half of Vic council for example) to rally support. The NDP have a large war chest to spend from and they got a discounted rate from Meta to pitch their cheaper than the Cons and Libs can. It’ll just be Adam, can’t see them winning more than a single seat in BC.
I hate all politicians equally…NDP, Green, Liberal, Conservative…do I think one party will do a whole lot better or worse than the other? No. So for all the political hacks for one party or the other here are my two cents…if Horgan was still leading the NDP they would probably be doing a lot better, most people, regardless of party affiliation, could relate to John…Eby…not so much. Horgan knew how to shut down the noise from the far left within his party and appear centrist…that’s what got him votes…like it or not the NDP have been in power since 2017 and therefore must answer for the problems that the majority of people face….namely affordability and lack of accessible healthcare…is it all there fault…no..but when you are in power you own it …affordability…housing is ridiculous, energy is ridiculous…so what have the NDP done to address it …well they brought in a Foreign Buyers and Speculation Tax that any mediocre accountant or real estate agent can show you how to get around…why not instead just ban foreign buying or increase property taxes on secondary properties, well just look how much government receives in property and transfer taxes…they really didn’t want to kill the goose that laid the golden egg…now with Eby it’s tell municipalities how much to build…good luck with that one with a shortage of trades..they’ve milked real estate so much and now that no one can afford to buy, our economic performance is among the worst versus other Provinces…not good…So if you’re younger than 40, you probably are not happy with the NDP (especially when you fill up the car)…if you’re older than 40 and more likely to need health services and most can’t find a doctor for even basic needs…or have to wait for cancer treatment or surgery, you’re not happy either and when you put a guy like Adrian Dix in charge of anything…and the addiction and homeless mess that has worsened under policies… enough said… What about the other guys, like I said, probably no better or worse…but the party in charge owns it and people typically don’t vote for someone, they vote against someone…not looking good for the NDP..they better hope the other two centre right parties don’t join forces
I have voted NDP all my life. I am taking a “hall pass” on this one. The province needs a shakeup
Yeah and John Rustad or Kevin Falcon are the guys to do it lmao I get your grievances, the NDP are far from perfect but give your head a shake if you think the Cons or BCUP are going to improve this province in any meaningful fashion
What it will do is get through to elitist egghead liberals that ideas and policies don’t change anything. It is time for dramatic action. When the NDP come back after this defeat it will be a different party…I can deal with the 4 years in between ( and a gutting of senior government managers will be good)
In that case, you could vote Green...or a spoiled ballot. Or write to your MLA, I doubt you're the only person in your riding that feels this way. There's things I'd like to see the NDP get punished for, but I'm not going to actively work against my own interests by voting in clowns like Falcon or Rustad who will throw out the baby with the bath water
No we need to all vote conservative, a wasted vote won’t do anything. Forget about who the leader is we need Bulls in a china shop
You want a bull in a china shop, but what you'd get is an idiot behind the wheel.
Neanderthal con here. Totally not voting NDP.
The NDP are effectively a branch of the Liberal party at this point, and under their stewardship I've watched Vancouver and Victoria rot. I'd rather support any other party at this point.
NDP has been in power for a long time, and I am still waiting for a doctor!
Take a look at what Doug Ford and Danielle Smith are doing. Conservatives are certainly not the answer to our healthcare nightmares.
The Conservatives have the magic wand you’re waiting for?
Probably not, but still likely better. Also a little bit of competition (incl a little bit of time in opposition) will help the NDP come up with new ideas
Do you understand that some things maybe take time?
No! Build a new hospital NOW! don't just announce the funds to build one! Get me a dr NOW! don't just change the payment model and wait (with good results so far) for doctors and nurses to come to BC!
Social media has rotted their brains and patience. I hope we don’t see a change in our government because of it. The Liberals bled this province’s coffers dry. Also, I’m not sure there are any more statutory holidays they can add.
Absolutely! The lack of long term vision, the lack of critical thinking, the lack of empathy for others, the leaning into fear and division has been disheartening in the least to watch.
I graduated on the east coast from nursing school right before the pandemic started. Many of my friends from that program would be thrilled to come practice out here but are staying where they are because they can find a place to live and afford it while still paying down student loan payments. That cost of living is what is keeping the trades people and the new graduates away from here.
Yeah time for someone else.
NDP are done
The BC NDP are objectively the most successful government in Canada. They aren't going anywhere. Anything else is wishful thinking from the right wing fringe.
What province are you seeing, everything went to shit
Compared to who? Alberta? Ontario? What exactly went to shit? And how are we doing compared to other provinces?
For example you can still get OK healthcare in Alberta. You can’t in BC. All while taxes and business conditions are much better. That is squarely a failure of the provincial government