David Eby

David Eby became Premier of British Columbia in November 2022 after John Horgan stepped down, and hit the ground running with one of the most aggressive housing policy platforms any Canadian premier has attempted in recent memory. The Housing Supply Act, transit-oriented development legislation, short-term rental restrictions, and the end of single-family zoning across BC municipalities represented a genuine restructuring of how British Columbia approaches land use. These were not incremental steps — they were real policy bets, and they required political courage to push through against municipal resistance. That said, the results on the ground for ordinary British Columbians remain mixed. Rents in Metro Vancouver and Victoria have not declined meaningfully, homeownership remains out of reach for most young people in the province, and construction costs have partially offset the supply-side interventions. Housing takes years to build and his policies will take time to work through the market. The question is whether the political will holds. On other files, Eby has been competent rather than transformative. BC's mental health and addictions crisis — deeply linked to the overdose emergency — has not been resolved under his government, though the province has implemented harm reduction measures that are evidence-based if politically contentious. Healthcare staffing shortages persist. The 2024 election returned him to office with a slim majority. Eby is a premier who appears to genuinely believe in the policies he's implementing, which is itself notable. Whether that translates into the affordability breakthrough BC families need remains to be seen.