Why has B.C.’s snap election caught both main parties unprepared?

When a snap election is called, at least one side would normally be prepared. But that hasn’t been the case in British Columbia, resulting in a provincial election campaign like no other, political watchers say. The campaign has seen interim B. C. Conservative leader Lorne Doerkson going without media availabilities on several days, including on Tuesday and Wednesday in the home stretch, ahead of Saturday’s final voting day. The NDP has meanwhile pivoted its messaging from focusing on U. S. President Donald Trump, to affordability, to the need for a stable majority. And campaigning has also been notably muted with relatively few large-scale rallies, although both major parties have events scheduled this week. Even the NDP campaign bus, which was adorned with Eby’s smiling face in 2024, is an anonymous-looking coach, devoid of slogans. Story continues below advertisement

Political signs are posted on a rural road in Wainwright, Alta., on Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Ty O'Neil). First Nations in Alberta are celebrating the win for the pro-Canada side in Monday’s referendum — but they’re also raising concerns about a shortage of ballots in their communities.

OTTAWA — First Nations in Alberta are celebrating the win for the pro-Canada side in Monday’s referendum — but they’re also raising concerns about a shortage of ballots in their communities. About three in four Albertans said yes to Confederation on Monday, while about one in four said they wanted the province to hold a second, binding referendum on leaving.

OTTAWA — First Nations in Alberta are celebrating the win for the pro-Canada side in Monday’s referendum — but they’re also raising concerns about a shortage of ballots in their communities. About three in four Albertans said yes to Confederation on Monday, while about one in four said they wanted the province to hold a second, binding referendum on leaving.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s military said its soldiers shot and killed two men who had launched an attack near the city of Hebron in the occupied West Bank on Friday morning. At least five people were injured, including some critically. The military set up roadblocks and closures in Palestinian towns in the area. Emergency responders said five people were injured, some critically and were being evacuated to hospitals in Israel. A statement from the responders said gunfire was ongoing as they arrived at the scene of the attack near the Yehuda Junction. Two men in their 20s had gunshot wounds to their lower limbs, one was unconscious and seriously injured, the responders said. The deadly shooting comes as Israeli voters will decide next Tuesday whether to grant Benjamin Netanyahu yet another term as prime minister — or usher in a new era of Israeli politics. The election comes three years after the Hamas-led attacks on Israel that triggered the war in Gaza,

LETTERSErick Michael fed the pigeons on Boston Common. Stan Grossfeld/Globe StaffI live near the Tufts Medical MBTA station that is under attack by pigeons (“MBTA looks to bring in hawks,” Metro, Oct. 8), but the the source of the problem is that someone is feeding them on an industrial scale. Several times a day someone empties a bag of rice on the plaza. I like the idea of the falcons, but I fear that their endless supply of food may offset the predation. As Pogo Possum said, “We have met the enemy and he is us.”Richard KileyBoston