BC Conservatives promise $3K in housing rebates as provincial election campaigns kick off
BC’s election campaign is only a few days old, but some major promises from candidates are already being put front and centre to sway voters ahead of October 19, and the leader of the Conservative Party of British Columbia is not holding back.
On Monday, John Rustad announced that his platform includes “Rustad Rebates,” a monthly financial break for homeowners and renters in the province to provide relief to the high costs of housing.
“People are being punished by having to pay for sky-high housing costs with their after-tax income. That’s why, if I’m elected premier, $3,000 per month in housing costs will be exempted from BC income tax,” he shared online. His promise said it would start at $1,500 per month, increasing by $500 per year to the full level of $3,000 per month.
Calling it the “largest tax cut for renters and homeowners in BC history,” the promise suggests that Rustad would be able to fulfil this and still ensure the 2026 budget will not exceed $900 million.
Meantime, Rustad is facing questions about the comments he made earlier this year when speaking about vaccines.
In a video shared by the BC NDP on Monday, Rustad said he regretted getting immunized.
“I’ve had three shots of the vaccine, I wish I hadn’t, quite frankly, that’s one of the things that’s changed in my thinking: the so-called vaccine, the COVID MRNA shot.”
Adding, “When I spoke with Dr. Bonnie Henry about it, I realized it wasn’t so much about trying to get herd immunity and trying to stop the spread, it [was] more around shaping opinion and control from the population.”
The video, which includes only this clip, has already received condemnation from many social media users, but it has also been “liked” by hundreds of others.
In July of this year, John Rustad met with an anti-vax group that is suing Dr. Bonnie Henry.
He said he regrets getting “the so-called vaccine” and accuses Dr. Henry of using it for “control on the population.” pic.twitter.com/m2h3IHAyK0
— BC NDP (@bcndp) September 23, 2024
Before the election, Rustad had already stated that he thinks healthcare workers who were fired because they refused to be vaccinated should be compensated and that “it’s something we are going to look into.”
BC NDP Leader David Eby put out a statement Monday criticizing the stance and the “attack on Dr. Henry,” and said that vaccines save lives.
“How will he react to a measles outbreak in British Columbia? What will he say? Will he encourage people to get vaccinated? Measles kills kids. So these are not minor considerations. This is really important for British Columbians to know. He says one thing in a meeting, when he thinks it won’t get out. Then he says another in public. You can’t trust John Rustad. On health policy. On what he says. Because he’s always saying something different to different groups,” Eby’s statement reads in part.