How B.C. parties will tackle affordability, voters’ top election issue

“There’s a lot of uncertainty about the impact this will have down the road,” he said.

Ivanova believes B.C.’s future lies with clean energy and the knowledge economy, not doubling down on fossil fuels.

“I’m very disappointed that the main economic announcements are about digging stuff out of the ground,” she said. “It’s backwards. This is not the economy of the future.”

On Thursday, Doerkson said he supports the federal government’s move to fast-track the Pacific Link pipeline, which would carry crude from Alberta to the B.C. coast. He estimated it would generate thousands of jobs and significant government revenue.

“British Columbia’s economy desperately needs a boost,” he said.

Lowan, though, challenged the benefit of the project considering tankers will have to go through American waters at a time of cross-border tensions. She is also worried about environmental impacts, saying a spill could jeopardize the jobs of thousands of people who work on the water.

Doerkson responded that, if elected, he would establish a “working group” with Alberta, Ottawa and First Nations to ensure the pipeline “is built safely and responsibly.”

CentreBC Leader Elenore Sturko backs the pipeline and, if elected, would boost skilled-trades training by $60 million to prepare for the estimated 70,000 jobs she said the project will bring.

On Thursday, Eby promised a re-elected NDP government would slash gasoline prices by 10 cents a litre and change provincial regulations to stop companies from neutralizing this saving by simply upping the cost at the pump.

The gas price reduction would be temporary, Eby said, blaming the need for it on geopolitical actions taken by the U.S. president that have led to higher fuel costs.

The NDP estimates the lower gas prices will save car drivers up to $20 on a tank of gas and reduce the cost to fill up transport trucks, noting higher shipping costs are typically passed along to consumers.

“Families are seeing not just higher prices at the pump, but also higher prices in the stores,” Eby said, claiming his campaign pledge will reverse that.

But Doerkson dismissed this promise, saying voters “don’t trust” Eby because he failed to deliver on a 2024 election pledge to send British Columbians a $1,000 grocery rebate.

On Friday, Eby made another grocery promise — this time to enact “price guards” at major grocery chains that will cap profit margins on staples such as milk, eggs, cheese, butter and chicken. He said the lower costs on these foods, plus additional measures the NDP says it would take to address grocery “price gouging,” could save shoppers up to $700 a year.

When asked why voters should trust this promise when he reneged on the 2024 grocery rebate, Eby said his government “made a difficult decision in changing circumstances” to eliminate the carbon tax instead.

Meanwhile, the B.C. Greens promise new policies to keep farmland in the hands of farmers so they can afford to produce local food at a time when “food security is becoming increasingly vulnerable.”

The Greens, which had two MLAs in the last government, have also campaigned on expanding $10-a-day child care and better supports for renters.

While Ivanova said lowering B.C.’s deficit is an important long-term goal, she cautioned that the economic promises being made by some of the parties will directly impact voters’ lives in the short-term: “We are in a time where things are challenging for everyone, and there aren’t really any easy answers. You can’t just say, ‘Oh, I’ll do this and everything will get better.’”