British Columbians go to the polls on Saturday after a too-close-to-call campaign that saw David Eby香蕉视频直播檚 New Democrats and John Rustad香蕉视频直播檚 B.C. Conservatives tangle over housing, health care and the overdose crisis 香蕉视频直播� as well as plastic straws and a billionaire香蕉视频直播檚 billboards.

Forecasters say election day will be soaked in several parts of the province by heavy rain from an atmospheric river system.

But the campaign has already been drenched in negativity, with Eby and Rustad each devoted to telling British Columbians why they shouldn香蕉视频直播檛 vote for the other.

The NDP香蕉视频直播檚 election platform mentions Rustad more than 50 times, compared to only 29 times for Eby, while the B.C. Conservative platform names Eby 50 times, and Rustad only 11 times.

香蕉视频直播淚 hope we never see another election like this,香蕉视频直播� Eby said this week in Nanaimo, describing the tone of the campaign where he felt compelled to tell voters about controversial public statements made by Rustad and some of his candidates.

香蕉视频直播淲e don香蕉视频直播檛 call people who are gay 香蕉视频直播榞roomers,香蕉视频直播櫹憬妒悠抵辈�� he said. 香蕉视频直播淲e don香蕉视频直播檛 tell Indigenous people that what they experienced in residential schools wasn香蕉视频直播檛 real. We don香蕉视频直播檛 propose that health-care professionals be put in front of an international tribunal similar to the trial of the Nazis called Nuremberg 2.0.香蕉视频直播�

Rustad, who campaigned in Nanaimo on the same day Eby visited the Vancouver Island city, said the NDP leader has consistently attempted to shift focus away from what he says are the real issues facing the province 香蕉视频直播� mismanagement of the economy, the crumbling health-care system and the ongoing drug overdose crisis that has resulted in more than 15,000 deaths since 2016.

香蕉视频直播淚 don香蕉视频直播檛 know why, I guess as premier he thinks it香蕉视频直播檚 OK to be lying to the people of B.C.,香蕉视频直播� said Rustad. 香蕉视频直播淭he premier of a province like B.C. should be able to be out, being straight up with people and telling them the truth as opposed to lies.香蕉视频直播�

Regardless of the outcome, the election will go down as a sea change for B.C. politics, with the Conservatives poised to either form government or become the official opposition, after the implosion of the BC United party under Kevin Falcon, who halted his party香蕉视频直播檚 campaign to support Rustad and avoid centre-right vote splitting.

Polls have put the NDP and the B.C. Conservatives locked in a close battle. It香蕉视频直播檚 a remarkable turnaround for the Conservatives, who won less than two per cent of the vote in the last provincial election.

Eby and Rustad spent Friday making last-ditch pitches for support in vote-rich Metro Vancouver.

Eby started in Coquitlam, while B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad was scheduled to be in North Vancouver.

香蕉视频直播淲e have left nothing on the table,香蕉视频直播� said Eby, adding every vote will count Saturday. 香蕉视频直播淚 have really no regrets about the campaign.香蕉视频直播�

On Friday, the Conservatives said that if elected they would launch 香蕉视频直播渁 full public inquiry香蕉视频直播� into the use of taxpayer money to buy drugs on the dark web.

That is a reference to a so-called 香蕉视频直播渃ompassion club香蕉视频直播� that was operated by the Vancouver-based Drug User Liberation Front to buy drugs including methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin, test it for safety and then sell it to its members.

The club was ultimately shut down and the group香蕉视频直播檚 founders arrested and charged with trafficking.

香蕉视频直播淭his inquiry will seek to uncover who knew what, when they knew it, and what actions were or weren香蕉视频直播檛 taken by the New Democrats, including Premier David Eby,香蕉视频直播� the party said in a statement.

Rustad was not available to reporters on Friday, but he was holding photo opportunities in Metro Vancouver.

Green Leader Sonia Furstenau was in Victoria, where she is looking to capture a seat in the NDP stronghold of Victoria-Beacon Hill. She has acknowledged the Greens won香蕉视频直播檛 win the overall election, but is hoping to retain a presence in the legislature where the party currently has two members.

The campaign香蕉视频直播檚 only televised debate saw Furstenau tell voters that Eby and Rustad were more closely aligned than people may believe on issues including support for the fossil fuel industry and placing people with mental health and addiction issues into involuntary care.

The month-long campaign has featured regular controversies for the Conservatives surrounding past comments by Rustad and his candidates.

Rustad dropped several potential candidates before the start of the official campaigning period over extreme views posted on social media.

But during the campaign he continued to support Surrey-South candidate Brent Chapman, who called Palestinian children 香蕉视频直播渋nbred香蕉视频直播� and 香蕉视频直播渢ime bombs香蕉视频直播� in a 2015 Facebook post.

Rustad also stood by North Coast-Haida Gwaii candidate Chris Sankey, who suggested vaccines caused AIDS by posting about 香蕉视频直播淰accine Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome香蕉视频直播� during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Then there was Vancouver billionaire Chip Wilson, co-founder of the Lululemon athletic clothing line.

Wilson injected himself into the campaign with a series of anti-NDP billboards outside his waterfront Vancouver home, located in Eby香蕉视频直播檚 Vancouver-Point Grey riding.

Eby and the NDP embraced the moment, saying Eby was on the side of ordinary people in B.C. struggling to make ends meet and not the owner of a home assessed at more than $81 million.

Rustad said he supported entrepreneurs like Wilson, but they couldn香蕉视频直播檛 expect a break on their property taxes.

Rustad香蕉视频直播檚 campaign promise to reverse a ban on plastic straws prompted Eby to begrudgingly agree that 香蕉视频直播減aper straws suck,香蕉视频直播� but he suggested the B.C. Conservative leader was trying to stir up controversy by diverting attention from major issues facing the province.

Election day coincides with an atmospheric river system that is dumping heavy rain across much of the province.

Furstenau used the weather event to highlight her party香蕉视频直播檚 climate promises, saying the Greens are the only party that offers a serious response to the climate crisis.

香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 very interesting the timing of an atmospheric river arriving right on the moment of this election campaign, an election campaign where we have one party led by a climate denier and another party led by a climate delayer,香蕉视频直播� she said.