Sunday September 20, 2026 | VICTORIA, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
BC Conservative Leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay has resigned today, September 20. She released that political bombshell around 1:30 pm today in social media.
Findlay says she will still be the candidate for the current by-election in Abbotsford-Mission, set for September 26.
This may throw a wrench into plans that it was widely speculated — and even hinted at — that Premier David Eby is set to call a snap provincial election this coming week.
Municipal leaders at the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) convention last Friday implored Eby not to hold a provincial election that would overlap the active municipal and school trustee election for which campaigns are underway (election date October 17).
Eby may feel less urgency now to protect his slim NDP majority, given that the NDP candidate Pam Alexis could win in Abbotsford-Mission six days from now, and that the Vancouver-Strathcona seat left vacant by the late Joan Phillip will likely be re-won by the NDP when a by-election is held there.
But if Eby doesn’t call an election now it would presumably give time for the newly formed CentreBC Party to consolidate (currently with 13 MLAs from the former BC Conservative Party), or even for the BC Conservative Party to be restored without Findlay in the mix.
If Eby does call an election, it will throw a wrench into the municipal election campaign which is now underway across the province.