B.C. election campaign officially begins [Video]

British Columbia’s election campaign is officially underway, New Democrat Leader David Eby told a crowd of cheering supporters on Saturday during a visit to a Metro Vancouver suburb.

Eby’s own re-election bid officially launched on Friday, but Saturday marked the day Lt.-Gov. Janet Austin issued the writ for the vote set to take place on Oct. 19.

Eby spent Saturday morning in Richmond, where supporters lined a local street and packed the room where Eby spoke while sporting the party’s trademark orange hue.

He said the province is facing many tough challenges, including affordable housing, public health care, mental health and addictions and the cost of living. But he pledged to be “laser focused” on tackling them.

“We can’t divide each other,” he said. “The only way we solve these problems is by working together. Here’s my commitment to you, to everybody in this room, to all British Columbians: we …