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Bob Mackin

Vancouver marked the one-year countdown to FIFA World Cup 26 on June 11 by unveiling a countdown clock in front of a few hundred invitees at a fenced-off Terry Fox Plaza.

Children played soccer on a makeshift artificial turf pitch outside B.C. Place Stadium where a natural grass/synthetic hybrid pitch will be installed for seven matches between June 13 and July 7, 2026.

Spencer Chandra Herbert, the NDP minister responsible for FIFA 26, said a budget update is expected by the end of June. Last year, predecessor Lana Popham said it could cost as much as $581 million.

Chandra Herbert spent less than five minutes in a scrum with reporters. He left without answering questions from theBreaker.news about how Metro Vancouver’s stressed hospitals will cope with an influx of World Cup visitors and B.C. government support for FIFA sponsors Saudi Aramco oil and Qatar Airways, whose state owners ban same-sex relationships.

Earlier, Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim vowed the city would “make the necessary investments” for safety and security, but he did not say how much that would cost. He also denied that homeless people in the Downtown Eastside would be displaced.

“The challenges that we have with our unhoused population, this is an ongoing thing with, you know, cities throughout the region, and so, you know, at the end of the day, this is something that we address, today, yesterday and tomorrow, and that will be ongoing,” Sim said.

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Chantelle Spicer, an advocate for the city’s poor, is not convinced.

“This does not give us confidence that people’s rights will be respected during such a large sporting event where the city hopes to draw in investment and tourism,” said Spicer, campaign manager with the B.C. Poverty Reduction Coalition (BCPRC).

Spicer told theBreaker.news that the coalition is especially concerned about displacement of homeless, the impact of increased surveillance and policing on people in public spaces and impacts on people depending on public transit and social services.

To that end, Spicer said BCPRC has made numerous unsuccessful attempts to connect with the local FIFA 26 organizing committee to learn if and how it intends to uphold human rights and mitigate any harms from the mega event.

“We have been met with silence, brush-offs, or meetings we persistently try to organize over months only to not get any real answers,” Spicer said. “There is an utter lack of accountability or opportunity for real stakeholder engagement with frontline service providers in the DTES or people who will be impacted by the games.”

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Bob Mackin Vancouver marked the one-year countdown to

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Bob Mackin

On the eve of the one-year countdown, officials behind FIFA World Cup 26 tamped down the Vancouver corporate community’s expectations.

In front of Greater Vancouver Board of Trade members on June 10, FIFA vice-president Victor Montagliani, who lives in West Vancouver, suggested local businesses think beyond profit.

“Legacy is not what you receive. It’s what you’re going to give, okay?” Montagliani said at the Fairmont Waterfront. “And this is where I think the business community needs to look at it from that perspective. It’s not what you’re going to get out of this — tickets or whatever — it’s what you are going to give to attach your brand to the biggest sporting event in the history of the world. You’ll never be able to say that again.”

The 48-nation, 16-city tournament kicks off June 11, 2026. B.C. Place is hosting seven matches from June 13-July 7, 2026. The PNE will stage a Fan Festival watch party through the July 19, 2026 final. The NDP government said more than a year ago that hosting could cost taxpayers $581 million. The federal government has not revealed the security budget.

The unofficial beginning of the World Cup festival is also in Vancouver, when FIFA holds its 76th Congress at the Vancouver Convention Centre on April 30. Heads of all 211 members will attend. Montagliani said that is a bigger roster than the United Nations and, in many cases, national soccer leaders are more powerful than their respective heads of government.

Premium tickets on sale

On each table, a card advertising FIFA’s new regional sponsorship program.

Starting at $195,000, packages include “exclusive access to intellectual property rights, tickets, hospitality, FIFA Fan Festival activation merchandise, access to FIFA legends.”

Jessie Adcock, the executive lead of the civic organizing committee, also curbed enthusiasm about tickets. She pointed to the VIP packages for sale and the add-ons to FIFA Club World Cup tickets in the U.S. this month and next. The rest of the tickets will be on sale this fall under a lottery system.

“Oftentimes, I think we compare the Olympics in 2010 to the situation here, and it is not going to be like that,” Adcock cautioned. “I think a lot of folks had access to a lot of tickets that were available, there was a lot of inventory that was able to be shared across partners. In this case, it is going to be quite limited, but that is why we are focusing on the Fan Festival.”

Canada is scheduled to play June 18 and 24, 2026 at B.C. Place. The rest of the teams will become known in December’s tournament draw.

Airbnb comeback?

Vancouver is one of 16 host cities, despite a hotel room shortage. Destination Vancouver CEO Royce Chwin said Metro Vancouver’s inventory of 20,000 rooms could be augmented by a temporary easing of short-term rental restrictions.

Chwin said the NDP B.C. government is being lobbied for a limited exemption “pre, during and slightly post the FIFA games.”

“That’s a live conversation right now, to see what it would look like,” Chwin said.

The NDP minister responsible for FIFA 26, tourism, arts, culture and sport minister Spencer Chandra Herbert did not attend, but sent a video greeting.

Unanswered questions

Board of Trade members were encouraged to pose questions to the featured speakers via the Slido app.

However, CEO Bridgitte Anderson, a former CTV reporter and anchor, did not touch the edgier questions.

Those included:

  • How is the City of Vancouver planning to secure venues and fan events in light of recent events?

  • How are you ensuring that you having (sic) the workforce in place to execute this series of events?

  • How is the City or [Business Improvement Association] going to help ensure the FIFA benefits small and diverse downtown businesses, while minimizing risks like access issues or disruptions?

  • Will we see the marketing and promotions increase now that we are under a year? The build up has been underwhelming all things considered.

  • How’s the city planning to manage traffic issues?

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Bob Mackin On the eve of the one-year

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Bob Mackin

Could British Columbia taxpayers unwittingly subsidize Chinese naval threats to Taiwan while sinking the Canadian shipbuilding industry?

BC Ferries announced June 10 that a Chinese shipyard will build four new vessels. It chose China Merchants Industry Weihai Shipyards (CMI Weihai), but did not disclose the value of the contract for the new diesel-battery hybrid ships, to be delivered between 2029 and 2031.

Parent CMI is headquartered in Hong Kong and has seven shipbuilding and repair bases, specializing in ferries, cruise ships and chemical tankers. Its website called CMI “one of the three major state-owned marine equipment manufacturing groups in China.”

Artist’s rendering of one of the four new BC Ferries to be built in China. (BC Ferries)

Last August, the Canadian Marine Industries and Shipbuilding Association (CMSA) said the Canadian government should slap a 100% tariff on Chinese-built ships and prohibit any government entity or Crown corporation from acquiring a Chinese-built vessel. CMSA cited national security, human rights and economic concerns.

“As China’s navy continues to grow, it increasingly uses its fleet to challenge Canadian interests and those of our allies in regions extending even to our own Arctic waters,” said the CMSA statement.

National security risk

A report in March by the bipartisan Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. branded China’s “huge and growing” commercial shipbuilding industry as a national security risk.

China has integrated commercial and military production at many shipyards, “giving its People’s Liberation Army Navy access to infrastructure, investment, and intellectual property acquired from commercial contracts,” said the Center’s report, which said foreign orders have helped China spend less to modernize its naval fleet.

Foreign countries, including U.S. allies, buy three-quarters of ships from China’s dual-use shipyards, thus “funnelling billions of dollars in revenue and transferring key technologies into the PRC’s naval industrial base.”

A U.S. Trade Representative investigation said the Chinese shipbuilding supply chain benefits from a “lack of effective labour rights and the use of forced or compulsory labour. Likewise, China’s non-market excess capacity in inputs, such as steel, advantage downstream Chinese enterprises.”

The April executive summary said China controls a fifth of the world’s commercial shipping fleet and its goal is to displace foreign competitors and diminish choice.

“China has demonstrated in the past its willingness to weaponize dependencies for purposes of economic coercion. China’s targeting of these sectors for dominance is therefore unreasonable also due to the creation of dependencies and resulting vulnerabilities and risks.

NDP used to champion made-in-B.C. ships

While in opposition, the NDP slammed the BC Liberal government and BC Ferries for spending $165 million on three ships from Remontowa Shipbuilding SA in Gdansk, Poland. Then-transportation critic Claire Trevena proposed a provincial shipbuilding bill in 2014, aimed at ensuring vessels built with public money are built in Canada.

The announcement came while Premier David Eby is on a trade mission in South Korea. Transportation minister Mike Farnworth said he was disappointed BC Ferries opted to do business with “any country that is actively harming Canada’s economy.”

But he called BC Ferries an independent company, which is misleading. While technically private, the only shareholder is the B.C. government.

Additionally, the NDP government appoints board members, such as chair and former finance minister Joy MacPhail and former NDP government bureaucrats Eric Denhoff and Lecia Stewart.

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Bob Mackin Could British Columbia taxpayers unwittingly subsidize

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Bob Mackin

The political strategist who was instrumental in putting Ken Sim in the Vancouver mayor’s chair is thinking about unseating him.

Kareem Allam managed the campaign for Sim’s ABC Vancouver party when it swept to power on city council, park board and school board in the 2022 election. Allam was also Sim’s first chief of staff, until early 2023.

Kareem Allam (Twitter)

He told theBreaker.news on June 9 that he was approached by a committee exploring alternatives to Sim. Allam said he was registering with Elections BC and opening a bank account to begin fundraising.

“I do want the job and I’m ready for it,” Allam said. “I’ve spent a large part of my career in public service, whether as a bureaucrat, whether as a political staffer.”

“I hope to bring a lens of affordability to every decision that gets made. [If] it doesn’t help seniors, doesn’t help students, doesn’t help working people and their families, I won’t do it.”

Allam said the result of the April 5 by-election sparked the exploration committee, which includes Margareta Dovgal, managing director of Resource Works. ABC’s candidates were the lowest-ranked of any party on the ballot. Two seats were filled by members of the left-wing COPE (Sean Orr) and OneCity (Lucy Maloney). Allam said Sim has nobody to blame but himself, breaking promises to make city hall more fiscally responsible, transparent and accountable.

“We’ve seen runaway tax increases without a notable increase in services, he tried to get rid of the Integrity Commissioner — while under investigation from the Integrity Commissioner — he tried to get rid of our democratically elected Park Board, which is something I’ve been vocal against,” Allam said.

Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim (Mackin)

Allam said the two biggest issues are the state of the economy and democratic institutions.

If a former B.C. finance minister with name recognition were to run, Allam said he would step aside. Same goes if Green Coun. Pete Fry steps forward.

“I think Pete’s got the integrity and leadership skills to do it, but — and I want to kick up a shit storm in the media — but, yeah, I’ve had that conversation with Pete and that if he does do it, I think he’s got the electability,” he said.

Allam also managed Kevin Falcon’s political comeback as BC Liberal leader in 2022. Falcon rebranded the party as BC United, but withdrew from the 2024 election in favour of the John Rustad-led Conservatives. Allam, however, joined the NDP during the election.

In May, Allam was a target of a Sim-filed defamation lawsuit, when Sim claimed Allam and developer Alex G. Tsakumis falsely accused him of drinking and driving.

Allam denied Sim’s allegations and called it “nothing more than a page out of Donald Trump’s book.”

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Bob Mackin The political strategist who was instrumental

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For the week of June 8, 2025:

The G-7 Summit is coming to Kananaskis, Alta., June 15-17. Canada is co-hosting the FIFA World Cup 26 in Vancouver and Toronto in almost a year.

But the world is a ball of conflict and confusion. Hot wars. Cold wars. Trade wars.

Prof. Christian Leuprecht of Royal Military College of Canada (Mackin)

Is World War III underway and the West just doesn’t know it?

That is one of Bob Mackin’s questions for this week’s guest, Prof. Christian Leuprecht of the department of political science and economics at the Royal Military College of Canada and a senior fellow with the Macdonald-Laurier Institute.

Leuprecht is also author of books on border security, transnational money laundering and the geopolitics of the north and south poles.

As usual, Pacific Rim and Pacific Northwest headlines and the Virtual Nanaimo Bar.

CLICK BELOW to listen or watch. Or go to TuneIn, Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Have you missed an edition of theBreaker.news Podcast? Go to the archive.

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For the week of June 8, 2025:

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Bob Mackin

A mutual fund dealer accused of pilfering more than $350,000 from two retired clients faces a July 29 hearing in Vancouver.

The Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO) issued a statement of allegations on May 14, accusing 2018-registered Marc-Antoine Ladeiro of Scotia Securities Inc. of misappropriating funds and creating false records.

CIRO’s Vancouver office is in Royal Centre. (Royal Centre)

The statement says that, between July 2020 and February 2022, Ladeiro obtained $354,700 from two retired clients aged between 88 and 90. At the end of December 2021, one of the clients died.

CIRO said he did so by transferring proceeds from matured guaranteed investment certificates and redeemed mutual funds into the clients’ bank accounts and then moving $354,700 to fictitious accounts that he controlled. He then allegedly transferred $264,609 to his personal bank account, $19,100 to an online payment service and $66,100 to other bank accounts.

“The transfers of monies from the clients’ bank accounts to the fictitious accounts described above were done by the respondent without the clients’ knowledge or authorization,” said the CIRO statement.

Ladeiro, it said, has failed to repay or account for the monies taken from the clients. When the dealer member discovered and investigated, it compensated the clients for their losses.

In April, a CIRO hearing panel accepted a settlement with a former investment dealer who embezzled almost $6 million from clients, some of whom were elderly and in poor health.

Michael Rowland Tomkins of Nanaimo “committed serious transgressions, involving large sums of money. He engaged in an ongoing pattern of intentional deception. This was far from an isolated lapse in judgment,” said the decision by the CIRO panel, chaired by lawyer Lynn Smith.

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Bob Mackin A mutual fund dealer accused of

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Bob Mackin

British Columbia’s insurance industry regulator cancelled a Toronto-area socialite’s licence after she falsely claimed to have a Master of Business Administration degree from a Canadian university.

Respon Wealth Management’s Hong Wei (Winnie) Liao, who frequently attends events with Canadian politicians and Chinese diplomats, testified at a November 2023 hearing that she had the diploma and transcript from York University.

But an Insurance Council of B.C. (IC) investigation determined the documents were fake and found Liao attempted to mislead the committee. So it cancelled Liao’s life and accident and sickness insurance licence in May 2024 for a three-year period. In a March 2025 order, the penalty was extended to five years, through May 28, 2029.

York University’s main campus (York U.)

Due to the code of conduct violation, Liao is barred from being a controlling shareholder, partner, officer or director of any licensed insurance agency in B.C. The ruling said she did not oppose the council’s $25,000 fine and $54,864.28 in costs, payable by June 2, nor did she oppose the condition that IC will not consider Liao’s licence application until the fine and costs are paid in-full.

Liao’s representatives, including lawyer William Smart, did not respond to questions from theBreaker.news. IC spokesperson Melinda Lau would neither confirm nor deny Liao had paid by the June 2 deadline.

Liao testified during a five-day, July 2024 IC hearing that she grew up in Hunan Province, obtained a bachelor’s degree in management engineering from Central South University and undertook part-time studies for a master’s degree at Southwest Jiatong University the year before immigrating to Canada in 2000. Liao eventually received a master’s degree in transportation management in 2004.

Paid for documents 

Liao also testified that she met a man, identified as Mr. M in the ruling, at Canada Hunan Fellow Association “Blue Sky Club” business networking meetings in 2002. Mr. M purported to be an agent for multiple universities and president of an association that helped foreign students apply to schools and convert their certificates. Liao said he convinced her that he could match her Chinese degree with a Canadian equivalent, but she does not remember how much she paid to receive the documents in 2005.

Hong Wei (Winnie) Liao with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (Respon)

“She testified that she did not believe that she had an MBA from York University, and acknowledged that this would have been impossible as she did not attend or study at York,” said the ruling. “She specified that, at the time she received the York documents, she did not even know what the MBA program was.”

Liao has frequently sponsored Metro Vancouver events with cultural and business associations affiliated with the People’s Republic of China consulate. The Respon corporate video shown at banquets features clips of Liao and various politicians, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The Elections Canada database shows North York, Ont.-resident Liao has donated more than $28,000 to the Liberal Party, including $1,000 to Trudeau’s Papineau riding association in 2014.

One of Liao’s other entities, Botrich Famliy Wealth Heritage Development Center, announced in April via PR Newswire that she received the King Charles III Coronation Medal from Liberal MP Shaun Chen (Scarborough North).

Separately, in May, Ontario Superior Court forced Liao to forfeit a $1 million surety after daughter Lucy Li was found to have broken bail conditions in 2023. Li and husband Oliver Karafa were convicted last year of the 2021 Hamilton first degree murder of Vancouver drug dealer Tyler Pratt, who invested in Karafa’s personal protective equipment enterprise.

 

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Bob Mackin British Columbia’s insurance industry regulator cancelled

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Bob Mackin

Representatives of Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell and Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim began to discuss a FIFA World Cup 26 memorandum of understanding in late 2024, but have nothing to show with almost a year until the tournament kickoff.

On Dec. 12, 2024, Seattle’s international affairs director wrote to Sim’s chief of staff, Trevor Ford.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino in the Oval Office in 2018 with U.S. President Donald Trump. (FIFA).

“[Deputy Mayor Greg] Wong would like to talk with you about an idea for some co-ordination around World Cup — something along the lines of an MOU between Seattle and Vancouver to work together and cross-promote the games to make it a regional success cross-border,” wrote Stacey Jehlik in a message obtained by theBreaker.news under freedom of information.

“Most of this would happen between our [local organizing committees] and tourism groups, as those entities already are co-operating. But we’re thinking it might be nice to have the mayors sign something to show the public that elected leaders are promoting the connection.”

Wong and Ford spoke Dec. 19 by webconference. Jehlik followed-up Jan. 10, suggesting Seattle would share a draft by the end of the month.

“I just wanted to loop back on who we should work with on sharing a draft of the MOU we discussed. I’m hoping we can have a draft ready to share the week of Feb. 17,” Jehlik wrote on Feb. 7.

Vancouver’s Trump tariffs response

Jehlik’s email happened to be four days before Sim’s city council unanimously adopted the “Choose Canada, Tariffs and Buy Local Imperative” motion at the Feb. 11 meeting. A March 4 memo from city manager Paul Mochrie said the city has 55 active contracts with U.S. suppliers worth $16.5 million, but 63% of which is for software systems.

Mochrie estimated Canadian suppliers who rely on U.S. goods and services would pass on as much as $11 million in tariff-related cost increases annually for items such as electrical fixtures, pipes and food. The memo mentioned nothing about tariff-sparked cost hikes for FIFA 26.

Ford did not respond, but Karissa Braxton, a spokesperson for Harrell, told theBreaker.news on May 27: “The City of Seattle has been discussing options for coordination and regional cooperation with Vancouver, including expressing shared goals, however, to date no formal MOU has been entered into.”

Behind the scenes, staff at the cities’ local organizing committees are meeting monthly.

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Vancouver executive lead Jessie Adcock’s calendar says one happened March 26, the same day as a monthly call with counterparts in Toronto and the FIFA 26 Canadian office.

Vancouver’s B.C. Place Stadium hosts the first of seven matches on June 13, 2026. Seattle’s Lumen Field hosts the first of its six matches on June 15, 2026.

Seattle also hosts six matches beginning June 15, 2025 in the FIFA Club World Cup 25 test event, including UEFA Champions League winner Paris Saint Germain on June 23 against the Seattle Sounders.

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Bob Mackin Representatives of Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell

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Bob Mackin

An adjudicator has set a July 15 deadline for City of Vancouver to disclose more information about its plans for the FIFA World Cup 26, including its contracts with FIFA.

Elizabeth Vranjkovic, of the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner, delivered her 73-page decision on June 2 on more than 2,400 pages that Vancouver city hall wanted censored in part or in-full. City hall feared that disclosure would harm in camera meetings, policy advice or recommendations, law enforcement, policy advice or recommendations, financial or economic interests of a public body, individual or public safety, third party business interests and personal privacy.

The decision found the city was authorized or required to withhold some information under the law, “but that much of the withheld information did not fall within the claimed exceptions. The adjudicator ordered the city to disclose that information to [theBreaker.news].”

FIFA’s 2026 World Cup logo (FIFA)

More than three years ago, theBreaker.news sought correspondence between City of Vancouver sport hosting manager Michelle Collens and FIFA about the city’s 2018 bid to host matches. Lawyers for city hall, the B.C. government, Vancouver International Airport Authority, B.C. Pavilion Corporation, Canada Soccer, FIFA and a third-party granted anonymity filed their opposition in a written inquiry during 2024.

Secret deals

Vranjkovic confirmed the existence of a participation agreement between the city and NDP government, as well as a confidential city memorandum of understanding with the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh first nations in September 2024. She rejected “vague and speculative” pleas from Peter Montopoli, the FIFA chief tournament officer for Canada, to keep various documents secret for fear of harm to FIFA business interests

“While the chief tournament officer says that competitors could use ticket information to compete with FIFA, numerous previous orders have held, and I agree, that disclosure of contractual terms that may result in the heightening of competition for future contracts is not a significant harm or a significant interference with negotiating position,” Vranjkovic wrote. “FIFA has not provided adequate evidence or explanation to support my reaching a different conclusion in this case.”

Yellow card for city hall

Vranjkovic was also highly critical of City of Vancouver for sometimes failing to provide evidence or argument to support its position to keep information secret.

“Proceeding in such a manner unnecessarily delays access to information for applicants and is an inefficient use of the OIPC’s limited resources,” she wrote.

The NDP government said more than a year ago that hosting could cost $581 million. The federal government has not revealed a security budget.

The heavily censored copies of contracts provided through the adjudication last year show that B.C. taxpayers are responsible for “all costs and expenses” incurred to fulfil obligations to FIFA and “shall indemnify and hold free and harmless” FIFA and subsidiaries from municipal taxes.

The 48-nation, 16-city tournament kicks off June 11, 2026. Vancouver is hosting seven matches from June 13-July 7, 2026 and a fan festival at the PNE through the July 19 final.

FIFA is also staging its 76th FIFA Congress under the natural grass roof at the Vancouver Convention Centre on April 30, 2026.

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Bob Mackin An adjudicator has set a July

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A former Conservative Party of B.C. candidate is seeking an external audit of the party’s March 1 annual general meeting.

Tim Thielmann, third-place finisher in Victoria-Beacon Hill last year, circulated a petition on June 1, asking executive members and former riding executive members to sign-on and demand president Aisha Estey respond by June 14.

“As you may have seen, the three former Conservative MLAs held a press conference on [May 28] to reveal allegations that John Rustad and his senior executive team rigged the AGM,” Thielmann wrote. “The allegations include payment of approximately $100,000 to secure votes from 100 or more members of the South Asian community for Mr. Rustad’s slate of directors and proposed constitution.”

Tim Thielmann (centre) with leader John Rustad (right) and MLA Bruce Banman (left) in happier times in 2024. (Thielmann/X)

Thielmann’s letter also claims Rustad and his team chose delegates based on political leanings or allegiance to Rustad; improperly decertified certain riding associations; and stacked delegates loyal to Rustad into ridings to which they are not resident.

“The auditor should have no prior relationship with Mr. Rustad, senior party or caucus staff or any member of the board. The terms of reference must include an examination of the enumerated allegations above,” Thielmann’s letter says. “The auditor’s report should be published prior to the party’s next AGM if possible and made available to all party members.”

Randy Roy is Rustad’s director of special projects and president of the Prince George–Mackenzie riding association. He challenged Thielmann to provide evidence of the $100,000 slush fund.

“I don’t understand why you would have withheld proof — if you had any?” Roy wrote in response to Thielmann, who was briefly Rustad’s director of research.

Roy also questioned why Thielmann would encourage a riding president to void his membership by “signing a letter written by someone who is actively looking to destroy the Conservative Party of BC?

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“I don’t support yours or anyone else’s efforts to destroy or defame our party — that’s why I’m a member, supporter and riding president,” Roy wrote.

Thielmann responded by asking Roy “whether members are free to request an audit of the AGM without fear of expulsion or other forms reprisal.”

Thielmann said a member of Rustad’s inner circle told MLA Tara Armstrong (Ind., Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream) about the slush fund

“It is a respectful request for an independent audit of the party’s AGM in light of numerous irregularities, just as John Rustad asked for an independent audit of our provincial election following irregularities,” Thielmann wrote.

Estey did not immediately respond to theBreaker.news.

NDP Premier David Eby remained in power with a narrow, 47-seat majority in the new 93-seat Legislature. Rustad’s Conservatives became opposition with 44 seats. Dissidents Armstrong, Dallas Brodie (Vancouver Quilchena) and Jordan Kealy (Peace River North) left the party earlier this year to sit as independents, leaving Rustad’s caucus at 41.

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Bob Mackin A former Conservative Party of B.C.

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