B.C. pauses sales tax expansion, unveils $90M in business aid for trade war: Eby

VANCOUVER — British Columbia Premier David Eby says the province is pausing a planned expansion of the provincial sales tax, introducing a $90-million support package for businesses and directing BC Ferries to build its vessels in the province in response to the trade war with the United States.

Eby spoke to delegates at the Union of British Columbia Municipalities convention in Vancouver amid speculation he will call a snap election as the Opposition Conservatives shed more caucus members.

The premier says the province will provide millions in support for communities and businesses impacted by U.S. tariffs, including $30 million for a renewed BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund, $30 million for technology companies and $15 million each for rural infrastructure and BuyBC programs.

He renewed the province’s commitment to not stock or sell alcohol from the United States until there’s a fair agreement in the United States for its forestry sector, a statement that earned him a standing ovation from the crowd.

Eby also says his government plans to open more involuntary care beds in every region for those with severe overlapping mental-health and substance use challenges, with future announcements of new beds in the Interior and on Vancouver Island.

The premier’s annual speech came days after he said he warned Elections BC and his caucus to be “election ready” amid disruptions posed by the U.S. trade war.

The union’s incoming president Jenna Stoner says the conference passed an emergency resolution asking Eby not to call an election during the voting window for upcoming municipal elections across the province.

Eby told the crowd during a question-and-answer session that he would consider the resolution and had “no announcement about an election.”

A vote just two years into the NDP government’s mandate could overlap with the municipal election campaign that runs from Saturday to Oct. 17, and the union’s former president, Cori Ramsay, said it would be a disservice to citizens.

The Prince George city councillor said Thursday that provincial leaders must uphold the principle of separate periods for local and provincial campaigns, so residents can properly consider the issues as they choose among 3,500 candidates running in local races.

Eby’s speech comes a day after B.C. Conservative leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay told delegates that she wasn’t going anywhere after being asked to resign by two members of her Opposition caucus.

The party has lost or expelled 12 members of its caucus since Findlay took over as leader.

At the UBCM convention on Thursday, Findlay called the prospect of a snap election a “cynical move” by a premier who knew she would win a Sept. 26 byelection in Abbotsford-Mission.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2026.

The Canadian Press