Eby announces B.C. grocery \u2018price guard\u2019 during Kelowna visit<\/p>\n
Published 4:30 pm Friday, October 2, 2026<\/p>\n
Campaigning ahead of the 2026 snap provincial election, B.C. NDP Leader David Eby promised an NDP government would provide \u201cprice guards\u201d on grocery essentials. <\/p>\n
The \u201cprice guard\u201d on groceries he announced on Friday (Oct. 2) in front of the Kane Road Save-On-Foods in Kelowna would cap profit margins on essentials like milk, eggs, cheese, butter, and poultry as well as protect independent grocers.<\/p>\n
He said a B.C. family of four is spending more than $17,500 on groceries each year, up more than 25 per cent from five years ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery week, it feels like groceries are more expensive,\u201d said Eby. \u201cWe\u2019ll make sure that the farmers are looked after, but for the big five chains, we\u2019re going to make sure that for you and your family, that you\u2019re not getting gouged at the til on the essentials you need.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we\u2019re going to do is put the same protections in place we have for farmers, in place when it comes to the big five chains here in the province that sell groceries to ensure that the basics \u2013 milk, cheese, eggs, and chicken \u2013 that British Columbians are protected from gouging from those excessive profits, we\u2019re going to cap profits and we can do that through the existing mechanisms that we already have to regulate the food system in the province, to be meaningful for families.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eby added these protective mechanisms exist in other provinces, but currently only protect farmers in B.C. He said it now needs to be used to also protect grocery shoppers.<\/p>\n
\u201cBy putting that regulation in place, we think we can help drive down that cost along with a number of other initiatives to help increase competition, to support independent grocers, to give a chance for the little guy to compete with the big guy,\u201d said Eby.<\/p>\n
Eby stated five ways he\u2019ll protect residents from increasing grocery prices:<\/p>\n
1) Price Guard to cap profits on the basics: Set a hard ceiling on retail margins for everyday essentials, including milk, eggs, cheese, butter, and poultry, which already have wholesale price management. This applies to corporate retailers only and prevents them from unfairly marking up food for customers and from reducing compensation for local farmers.<\/p>\n
2) Stop them from blocking competition: Ban anti-competitive real estate deals and property controls that big grocery chains use to keep independent competitors and smaller food retailers from opening up shop in your neighbourhood and charging you higher prices.<\/p>\n
3) End their hidden price games: Mandate clear, consistent per-unit pricing on the shelf in all stores. This ensures transparent, honest pricing so corporations can\u2019t use deceptive \u201cshrinkflation\u201d to quietly hide price hikes on smaller packages.<\/p>\n
4) Stop predatory surveillance pricing: Strengthen consumer protection and privacy laws to prohibit AI-powered algorithmic pricing. This ensures big corporations can\u2019t exploit your personal data and market power to unfairly manipulate and raise prices at the register.<\/p>\n
5) Support smaller local grocery stores: Invest in local food infrastructure by partnering with Ottawa to build an independent, regional wholesale food terminal in the Lower Mainland. This would let smaller independent grocers bypass the giants\u2019 distribution chains, ensuring big supermarkets aren\u2019t the only option.<\/p>\n
\u201cGrocery prices are a lot like housing, it\u2019s no one thing, it\u2019s going to take a bunch of steps to drive down your cost at the till,\u201d said Eby. \u201cDriving down the cost of groceries is not just one thing, it\u2019s going to be an array of initiatives.\u201d<\/p>\n
A couple hours after the announcement, Kelowna-Mission incumbent MLA Gavin Dew put out a statement, blasting the \u2018grocery guard.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the arsonist offering to put out the fire,\u201d said Dew. \u201cDavid Eby promised every family $1,000 for groceries last election and cancelled it before his first budget. Life has only gotten more expensive under the NDP, and families know he\u2019ll break this promise too.\u201d<\/p>\n