B.C. Premier David Eby expected to call snap election Tuesday as Conservative opposition crumbles

David Eby is expected to call a snap election tomorrow, dissolving the B.C. legislature despite holding a slim majority government and having more than two years remaining in his mandate.

Multiple reporters and news outlets are reporting the decision, though Eby's office has not officially confirmed it. The Premier has majority support in the legislature, though the margin is tight.

Eby's decision comes as B.C. voters have soured on his government in recent months. Polls conducted in July showed voters ready to remove the NDP from power, citing a ballooning deficit and delays and cost overruns on the Broadway Subway project. Vancouver City Council has also called on the province to step up on the toxic drug crisis.

The opposition, however, is in disarray. Conservative leader Kerry Lynne Findlay resigned as leader yesterday after four months in the role. Several MLAs have left the Conservative caucus to sit as independents, while some independents have joined Peter Milobar, a leadership hopeful and MLA who was polling ahead of Eby, under a not-yet-named party. Former leader John Rustad rejoined the Conservative fold after Findlay's resignation. The result is an opposition fractured in about four different directions with no clear leader.

The Union of BC Municipalities called on the province last week to keep two jurisdictions' election periods separate. A municipal election is scheduled for October 17.

Eby's snap election mirrors the approach taken by former Premier John Horgan, who called an election after the COVID-19 pandemic, claiming British Columbians ought to be able to decide who should lead them after pandemic reorganization.