Advance Voting Ending Today

Advance voting wraps today ahead of this Saturday's provincial election.

While results from yesterday aren’t in yet, Elections BC said between Thursday and Sunday, nearly 570-thousand votes had already been cast.

There was no polling open on Thanksgiving Monday.

Close to 12-thousand people cast a ballot in Courtenay-Comox over those four days of advance polls; about 76-hundred in North Island.

Over the long weekend, the Conservatives unveiled their “Learning-First Education” plan.

The party says that “under the NDP, BC students’ performance in math, reading, and science has plummeted, and parents are left in the dark about their children’s progress.”

Their plan, explained in a release, “focuses on core skills, transparency, and real support for students, leaving behind the ideological distractions that have led to declining educational standards.”

“British Columbia used to lead the country in math scores. Today, we lag behind the national average.

The NDP’s elimination of letter grades, exams, and academic expectations has created a system that lowers standards instead of raising students to their full potential,” Conservative Leader John Rustad said.

The plan would restore letter grades for students from Grade 4 through 9 , reinstate standardized provincial exams for Grade 10 and 12 students, and expand programs for academically gifted students to support those who excel.

Rustad said his party would also end SOGI 123, a program that provides resources for educators and parents, and guidelines for district policies concerning sexual orientation and gender identity.

It would be replaced with a zero-tolerance anti-bullying program that Rustad says would keep all students safe.

On Tuesday, October 15, 2024, the BC Greens announced a plan to expand reproductive healthcare and ensure student safety on campus.

The Greens are proposing a suite of measures “to create a culture of safety and accountability at BC’s post-secondary institutions, including “Safe Night Out” legislation, aimed at enhancing student safety during nighttime activities, both on and off campus; amendments to campus safety standards, and $5 Million in annual funding to support sexual violence prevention offices and initiatives.

On the campaign trail today, NDP leader David Eby is set for some announcement as he tours Vancouver Island, with stops in Ladysmith, Nanaimo, Duncan, and Victoria.

Advance polls are open from 8am to 8pm today - you can find out where to vote at www.wheretovote.elections.bc.ca, or check your Where to Vote card, mailed out to every registered voter in the province.

Make sure to bring your Where to Vote card with you (if you have it) when you vote, and all voters must prove their identity and residential address.

To learn about ways to vote and voting locations in your area, visit Elections BC or call 1-800-661-8683.