BC Conservatives announce former Surrey mayor as candidate; all parties gear up for election 121 days away

B.C. election's pre-campaign begins The BC Conservatives announced a new high-profile candidate and the NDP says it has officially launched its pre-election campaign

There was no mistaking that Thursday’s event in the Vancouver-Langara riding was a full-throttle, partisan event.

Premier David Eby held court with his NDP base Thursday at the party's first official campaign event in the countdown to the Oct. 19 election.

“The clock is ticking. We are E-minus 121 days to the provincial election,” Eby told the crowd.

The premier also flagged the birth of his third child, due in one week.

“We’re expecting a beautiful baby girl. I mean, I haven’t seen her yet, but her mom's good-looking,” he joked.

The mood at the event was energized, as Eby took shots at his opponents and introduced new candidates to the enthusiastic crowd.

Not to be left out, BC United leader Kevin Falcon held his own news conference Thursday, pledging to balance the budget if elected and targeting younger voters.

“Today is a day where we start to ignite the spark of hope in young people in British Columbia,” said Falcon.

Meanwhile, Conservative leader John Rustad introduced his latest high-profile candidate to the Vancouver Board of Trade: Former Surrey mayor Linda Hepner.

“Her background, I think, is a great fit for us as Conservatives – especially in a city like Surrey – which has been treated like a second-class city for far too long,” said Rustad.

Both Rustad and Hepner also keyed in on an appeal to a youthful demographic.

“Hearing that one out of every two kids is thinking about leaving the province – and I have five grandchildren here,” said Hepner, describing part of her motivation for running.

There was no formal event today from the BC Greens, but on the first day of summer, expect all parties to be busy in the four months before voters go to the polls.