Advocacy Update Archive

Advocacy Update – September 24, 2026

On Tuesday, September 22, 2026, Premier David Eby announced that the legislature
has been dissolved and a provincial snap election has been called.

News

The news below is current as of Thursday, September 24, 2026, 12 pm PCT.

BC Provincial Election
On Tuesday, September 22, 2026, Premier David Eby announced that the legislature has been dissolved and a provincial snap election has been called, with a final voting day set for Saturday, October 24, 2026. Using the threat of President Donald Trump’s trade war as justification for calling an early election so British Columbians can vote on the associated policy direction of provincial leadership, Premier Eby broadly outlined the BC NDP’s plan to stand up against the threats, protect British Columbians, and build a competitive economy. The provincial election effectively cancels the Abbotsford-Mission by-election, where ex-BC Conservative Party of BC leader Kerry Lynne-Findlay was running. Four BC NDP cabinet ministers (Lana Popham, Ravi Kahlon, Kelly Greene, and Brenda Bailey), two prominent BC Conservative MLAs (Linda Hepner and John Rustad), and a BC Green MLA (Rob Botterell) have announced they are not running for re-election.

PST Expansion Paused
On Friday, September 18, 2026, the Province announced that it is pausing the planned expansion of Provincial Sales Tax (PST) to professional services, which was scheduled to take effect on Thursday, October 1, 2026. This pause comes after many organizations, including the BC Real Estate Association (BCREA), have relentlessly urged the province not to implement the PST expansion. As a result, the existing PST exemption will remain in place for non-residential real estate commissions and services. There is no firm timetable on when the changes will be implemented, but the government stated the delay will last until after the current trade war with the United States is over.

BC Conservative Politics
Since the last Advocacy Update on Thursday, September 3, 2026, the composition of conservative BC political parties has shuffled significantly. A total of 14 MLAs initially left the Conservative Party of BC, including in most recent days, Trevor Halford, Claire Rattée, and John Rustad, who were fired from the party by the then-leader on Friday, September 18. On Saturday, September 19, Linda Hepner left the party, citing the firing of her colleagues as “the final straw.” On Sunday, September 20, Kerry-Lynne Findlay resigned as leader of the party after growing calls for her resignation. On Monday, September 21, Lorne Doerkson was named interim party leader and five MLAs returned to the fold. On Tuesday, September 22, Brent Chapman left the party to join OneBC. Finally, seven more of the recently departed MLAs rejoined the Conservative Party on Tuesday, September 22, detailed below.

BC Centre Politics
BC’s political centre has also experienced significant changes since the last Advocacy Update. A total of six additional MLAs initially joined the party that Peter Milobar was actively forming but had not yet named, including Ian Paton, Teresa Wat, Rosalyn Bird, Áʼa:líya Warbus Warbus, Donegal Wilson, and Bruce Banman. With a snap provincial election looming, Milobar and Mike Bernier briefly joined forces on Friday, September 18, combining their parties under the CentreBC umbrella, with Milobar as the new leader. MLA Elenore Sturko joined CentreBC the same day. However, as of Tuesday, September 22, all CentreBC MLAs except Sturko have decided to rejoin the Conservative Party of BC once more. Sturko has been named leader of CentreBC as of Tuesday, September 22.

BC Conservative Cabinet Shuffle
In a shadow cabinet shuffle on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, Misty Van Popta was appointed the new Shadow Minister for Housing and Infrastructure and Gavin Dew was appointed as the Shadow Finance Minister. Tony Luck was named Shadow Minister for Municipal Affairs, and Harman Bhangu as Shadow Minister for Transportation and Tourism.

Union of BC Municipalities Convention
The Union of BC Municipalities Convention ran from Monday, September 14, to Friday, September 18, 2026. Three staff from BCREA’s Government Relations department attended and connected with stakeholders and elected officials, advancing our local elections housing advocacy, including asks for the establishment of regional housing policy roundtables and scaling modular and prefabricated housing. While housing was a significant topic at the convention, it was overshadowed by questions of BC’s Indigenous history and provincial-level drama. There were 19 independent resolutions related to housing issues, which can be explored here.

Consultations

Federal Financing Measures to Support the Supply of Housing for Owners and Renters
The federal government is seeking to understand whether, and to what extent, its housing finance interventions to support new homebuilding should adjust in response to the evolving market realities of homeownership and rental. Input can be submitted through an online survey portal until Friday, September 25, 2026.

2025 Gas Code Adoption Consultation
Technical Safety BC is looking for your feedback regarding adopting the latest gas safety codes for BC. The organization is proposing to adopt the Canadian Standards Association’s gas codes for use in the province, and explore options for carbon monoxide alarm requirements in homes with gas appliances. Visit the consultation page to learn more about the proposed changes and complete the online survey to share your feedback. The consultation will close on Friday, October 2, 2026.

BCFSA Proposed Fee Review Framework
The BC Financial Services Authority (BCFSA) is seeking feedback on a proposed Fee Review Framework Discussion Paper. The proposed framework is intended to establish a clear, predictable, and transparent process for reviewing regulatory fees across all BCFSA-regulated industries. It includes annual cost-based reviews and comprehensive reviews at least every five years to help ensure fees remain aligned with regulatory activities and continue to support effective regulation. You can provide feedback by completing BCFSA’s Feedback Form and / or emailing [email protected]. The engagement will run until Friday, October 16, 2026.

Please feel free to share your opinion on these consultations with BCREA via our Government Relations email address below. We are always interested in the thoughts of Advocacy Update readers.

Readings

Koot: Are We Asking Property in BC to Solve Too Many Problems?
Read BCREA CEO Trevor Koot’s discussion on what happens when property becomes the delivery mechanism for so many different objectives simultaneously.

Canada’s Housing Supply Gap Remains Largely Unchanged
Read the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s Fall 2026 Housing Supply Report, outlining the key risk that Canada may not build enough during today’s market softening and could fall short of housing when demand strengthens again.

LandlordBC Rebrands as RentBC
British Columbia’s rental housing industry association LandlordBC has rebranded as RentBC, a move designed to better reflect its evolving role in supporting a healthy rental housing ecosystem while maintaining its core mandate.

Events

PacificWest 2026 Conference
Fraser Valley Real Estate Board and Greater Vancouver REALTORS^®
September 28 – 29, 2026, Vancouver Convention Centre
Vancouver, BC

2026 Housing Central Conference
Aboriginal Housing Management Association, BC Non Profit Housing Association, and Co-operative Housing Federation of BC
November 16 – 18, 2026, Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre
Vancouver, BC

BCREA’s Government Relations Quarterly can be subscribed to here. Attention REALTORS^®: no need to subscribe, as you are automatically included on the distribution list! Check out the archive here.

Feel free to share the Advocacy Update with others. The most recent version of the Advocacy Update is also available on BCREA Access (login required).

If you’d like to be added to the Advocacy Update distribution list click here (BCREA Access login required), or for more information, please contact:

Brenna Friesen
Policy Analyst
Direct: 778.373.6481
Email: [email protected]