British Columbia Election 2024

• B.C. Retail
• Why B.C. Retail Matters
• Key Retail Issues
• Get Involved
• Contact Us

Source: Stats Canada

British Columbia’s 2024 Election

British Columbia’s political situation has changed dramatically since the 2020 provincial election in which the New Democratic Party, led by a very popular Premier John Horgan, got a large majority of the seats.  There has been boundary redistribution since the 2020 election and the number of seats will increase from 87 to 93.

The B.C. New Democratic Party has been led by Premier David Eby since 2022.  Eby will face his first election.

The main opposition party, the B.C. Liberal Party, elected a new leader in 2022, then changed their name to the B.C. United Party in 2023, suffered defections to the B.C. Conservative Party in 2023 and 2024, and in August 2024 decided not to contest this election campaign.  John Rustad, who was expelled from the B.C. United Party for retweeting a social media post questioning climate science, now leads the B.C. Conservative Party which had not elected an MLA since the 1975 provincial election.  Some other former B.C. United MLAs have joined with Rustad.

The B.C. Conservatives are running neck-and-neck with the B.C. New Democrats in public opinion polls (not overly reliable as the election campaign is not underway) but the party is untested in an election and thus the outcome is very uncertain.

The B.C. Green Party led by Sonia Furstenau had 2 seats in the previous legislature.

British Columbia Key Retail Issues

Retail Safety and Crime

Employees and customers in retail stores and quick-service restaurants are on the front line.  They face increasing threats to their safety as a result of both organized retail crime as well as prolific and often violent offenders who use a range of dangerous weapons and tactics.  This is in addition to employees having to manage complex interactions with those dealing with mental health issues and drug-induced behaviours.  RCC has begun the execution of a coordinated strategy to address these issues in collaboration with police agencies, retailers, community groups and other key stakeholders.

Recommendations:

• There is a pressing need for reform of sentencing guidelines.  Multiple provinces have asked the federal government for change so that repeat offenders are not back in the same store within hours of their previous interaction.
• At a time of many demands on government finances, it is critical that government allocate appropriate financial resources to policing agencies, mental health services and addiction treatment facilities.
• Retail wants the provincial government to commit to being an active and contributing partner in collaborative discussions led by RCC and involving police agencies, businesses and other stakeholders.

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Affordability

Since 2017, dramatic changes to employment standards, the Labour Code, and legislation that impacts business have had a significant impact on prices of consumer goods.  The public – and indeed elected officials – are asking for lower prices but elected officials are failing to see the impact of their decisions to raise direct and indirect costs for business.

Recommendations:

• Retail asks government to increase meaningful consultation with impacted business stakeholders with a greater lens on affordability and cost (to consumer) impacts of their decisions.
• Frequently “what we heard” reports produced by government after public consultation leaves business stakeholders feeling unheard.  RCC asks that government include a dedicated business consultation unit in government policy engagement efforts.

Improved Communications, Education and Compliance Enforcement

Business wants certainty and a level playing field with their competitors.  Recent changes to provincial legislation have not been widely communicated to businesses.  The result is that some businesses are complying with regulations while their competitors do not: this can create a significant financial benefit for the non-compliant which increases dramatically on a year-over-year basis.  Running a retail business in multiple jurisdictions, or particularly a small retail business, is increasingly difficult.

Recommendations:

• When new programs and requirements are introduced, a strong communication process to impacted business is needed.  The current processes leaves most businesses unaware of changes.  Government appears to be relying on the media: meanwhile media companies face significant financial stress and are reducing the resources necessary to provide that information to the public.
• Harmonize requirements and parameters with other Canadian jurisdictions.  Recognize that British Columbia is a small part of a global marketplace and products are not made only for the B.C. market.  Common definitions ease operations for business.
• Increase compliance enforcement.  RCC appreciates that government gives priority to education first before fines.  It is, however, unacceptable for a non-compliant business to have a significant financial advantage over their competitors because they do not comply with the law.  In British Columbia, there are businesses who have had such advantage for more than a decade.  This results in an unlevel playing field and leaves compliant businesses questioning the value of compliance.

Retail Jobs Strategy

In many parts of B.C., retailers and quick-service restaurants are having difficulty finding qualified employees to fill positions.  There are limited number of spaces available in education programs for retail positions.

Recommendations:

• Increase funding to post-secondary institutions offering retail programs so that the number of spaces can increase.

Get Involved

Contributing to political parties – what you need to know

Contributing to a campaign can be an effective way to build relationships with candidates in your riding.

Please refer to this link for what you need to know.

Voting

1. Voters may request a mail ballot from Elections B.C. You can also view your District Electoral Offices here.
2. Election day, Saturday, October 19, 2024 polls are open from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m Pacific Time. 
3. Advanced voting will be available October 10-13 and October 15-16 (advance voting will be closed Monday, October 14 for Thanksgiving). Advanced voting places will open from 8am to 8pm local time. Not all advance voting places will be open on every day of the advance voting period.
4. You may also vote at any time during the election period at any Elections British Columbia office.

Time off to vote:

Voters are entitled to four consecutive hours free from work to vote during advance voting or on General Voting Day. Voting hours during advance voting are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time and on Final Voting Day are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Pacific time.

This does not necessarily mean four hours off work. It means that there must be a four-hour period free from work during voting hours. Time off may be at the beginning or end of an employee’s shift, or unnecessary if normal working hours already provide enough time free from work to vote. For example, if a shift ends at 4 p.m., or does not begin until noon, the employee is not entitled to any time off for voting purposes. Employers can decide when their employees can take time off to vote.

• Register to vote
• View voter identification requirements
• Learn how to vote

Contact Us