At the start of the election campaign in British Columbia, the NDP and Conservatives are engaged in sharp exchanges over housing and drugs

VANCOUVER — Drug policy and the housing shortage are emerging as the most important issues at the start of the election campaign in British Columbia.

New Democrat Leader David Eby and British Columbia Conservative Leader John Rustad spent much of the first weekend of their campaign crisscrossing Metro Vancouver from Richmond to North Vancouver and Surrey to Langley, emphasizing the importance of winning urban constituencies.

Rustad launched his campaign at CRAB Park in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, an area associated with homeless encampments and people with addiction and mental health issues.

On Sunday, he increased his focus on the drug problem, releasing a statement announcing that British Columbia Conservatives would commit to closing injection sites in Richmond and labeling them drug dens.

Eby and Green Party leader Sonia Furstenau condemned the statement, arguing that Rustad had already spoken out in favor of safe drug injection sites earlier this month.

According to Furstenau, Rustad was a cabinet minister in the previous British Columbia Liberal government that funded safe injection sites.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published September 23, 2024.

The Canadian Press