A day before the official start, British Columbia91裸聊视频檚 election campaign sees B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad and Green Party Leader Sonia Furstenau speaking to municipal leaders, while NDP Leader David Eby is gearing up to get his campaign bus rolling.

Eby spoke to local politicians yesterday at the Union of B.C. Municipalities convention, as they presented a laundry list of concerns for the provincial government at the meeting, from homelessness to the overdose crisis and more support funding.

Eby91裸聊视频檚 speech to the municipal leaders focused on his recent announcement to implement plans to introduce involuntary care of people struggling with mental health and addiction issues.

He says several city governments have already indicated they are on board with having a 91裸聊视频渟ecure site91裸聊视频� to house and treat severely mentally ill and drug addicted people.

The decriminalization of possession of small quantities of hard drugs and open drug use in public areas is expected to be a major issue in the Oct. 19 election, which officially starts Saturday.

Rustad, who has been highly critical of safe supply and decriminalization initiatives, says he supports involuntary care, including for children.

Of the three party leaders, only Furstenau has run in a provincial election for the premier91裸聊视频檚 job.

Eby took over the job from former premier John Horgan almost two years ago, while Rustad was acclaimed as the leader of the B.C. Conservatives last year.

The British Columbia provincial election campaign is expected to officially kick off Saturday, but party leaders have been vying for votes for months in the lead up to the Oct. 19 fixed election day.

Here91裸聊视频檚 a look at some of the issues that are expected to be front and centre over the next month and what the political parties have said about them so far.

Health Care

B.C. Conservatives promise significant changes to the system, including sending people outside the province for care, expanding private clinics, and providing compensation for workers who lost their jobs for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

The NDP defends its management of the health file, pointing to a new contract with doctors, adding 250,000 nursing hours and 835 new family doctors. Leader David Eby says for the first time in more than 20 years, fewer British Columbians are looking for a family doctor than the year previous. In the days leading up to the election campaign, the government signed an agreement with Ottawa that would see the province get an estimated $195 million to cover diabetes medication and hormone therapy, if a new federal PharmaCare bill becomes law.

The Greens want to establish community health centres in each of B.C.91裸聊视频檚 ridings to replace the current network of urgent and primary care centres,

Crime

A series of high-profile crimes involving repeat offenders has pushed the issue of public safety into the spotlight, as residents and businesses look for answers to what they say is a rapidly deteriorating situation.

Researchers and police say statistics show most crimes are down in B.C., but that hasn91裸聊视频檛 quelled the voices calling for more to be done on bail reform, enforcement of regulations and other changes to the justice system.

B.C. Conservatives are promising to increase funding to police, applying 91裸聊视频渮ero tolerance91裸聊视频� for violent, repeat offenders and appointing judges that prioritize victims91裸聊视频� rights.

The NDP, meanwhile, says the province has among the lowest violent crime rates against children and seniors in Canada, and pledges to invest in what it calls solutions to root causes of criminal activity such as drug and mental health treatment, support programs, health care and housing.

The BC Greens have said they91裸聊视频檒l fund a 91裸聊视频渃ontinuum of response91裸聊视频� to mental health, substance use, and other complex social issues, with a focus on prevention and community-led responses. The party also says it will draft a Community Safety and Policing Act and improve officer training to 91裸聊视频渟hift police culture.91裸聊视频�

Housing

The NDP government has attempted to lower the province91裸聊视频檚 sky-high housing costs and increase supply through a range of initiatives including putting limits on short-term rentals, launching a $500 million fund for non-profits to buy rental properties, and passing legislation requiring communities to allow multi-unit housing on lots previously zoned for single-family homes.

The B.C. Conservatives say they91裸聊视频檒l get housing costs under control by promoting the development of new housing supply 91裸聊视频渨hile cracking down on illegal money laundering that has inflated prices and facilitated criminal activity.91裸聊视频�

The Green housing plan includes $1.5 billion for a non-profit housing fund and the introduction of vacancy control to cap rent increases between tenancies.

Toxic drugs

The province91裸聊视频檚 drug toxicity crisis has killed more than 15,000 people since the B.C. government declared a public health emergency in 2016.

The NDP dialed back its drug decriminalization policy earlier this year, narrowing places where people can possess small amounts of illicit drugs for personal use. More recently, leader David Eby said a re-elected NDP would open facilities to treat people involuntarily if they have concurrent mental health and addiction issues.

It91裸聊视频檚 similar to a plan that was announced by B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad days earlier. Rustad has promised involuntary care for 91裸聊视频渢hose at serious risk due to addiction, including youth and adults, to keep the most vulnerable safe91裸聊视频� and says he91裸聊视频檒l build secure treatment facilities.

Sonia Furstenau, leader of the BC Greens, says both men are walking 91裸聊视频渙ff every reactionary cliff91裸聊视频� and that the province needs more investment in prevention and addressing the root causes of what91裸聊视频檚 happening in communities. She says people need secure housing, a basic constitutional right to safety, and access to health and mental health services and treatment.

Economy

British Columbia91裸聊视频檚 finance minister announced earlier this month that the deficit this fiscal year will be $1.1-billion higher than originally forecast, coming in at nearly $9 billion.

The news comes as one business leader said many British Columbians are experiencing their own 91裸聊视频減ersonal recession.91裸聊视频�

Katrine Conroy defended her party91裸聊视频檚 budget as finance minister, saying it91裸聊视频檚 not the right time to balance the budget when the government needs to provide services and support those struggling over a lack of affordability.

John Rustad91裸聊视频檚 Conservatives are promising to cut 91裸聊视频渨asteful spending91裸聊视频� and remove 91裸聊视频渦seless and redundant regulations91裸聊视频� to support small businesses.

Leaders

This is David Eby91裸聊视频檚 first election as premier and party leader. He was acclaimed as leader of the New Democrats in 2022, after the only other candidate in the race was disqualified.

John Rustad went from relative obscurity as an ousted BC United MLA to the Leader of the B.C. Conservatives. The party gained more notoriety after the BC United suspended its election campaign but Rustad is largely untested as a leader.

He faced criticism in the lead-up to the campaign for some of his party91裸聊视频檚 candidates, which include a suspended doctor who was removed after repeatedly saying COVID-19 vaccines were more dangerous than the illness, and a candidate who was replaced after sharing social media content about the 91裸聊视频�5G Genocide.91裸聊视频�

BC Green Party Leader Sonia Furstenau was first elected as MLA in the Cowichan Valley in 2017, and has been the leader of the BC Greens since 2020.