Milobar taking over Centre B.C., 8 MLAs ready to run as election call looms
Published 3:39 pm Friday, September 18, 2026
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Kamloops Centre MLA Peter Milobar is taking over as leader of the Centre B.C. party.
Milobar and Mike Bernier, a former B.C. Liberal MLA and cabinet minister, held a joint press conference in Vancouver Friday to announce that Milobar and the six MLAs announced as part of his yet-to-be-named party would instead be joining Centre B.C.
In total, there are eight sitting MLAs with Centre B.C. now. The party plans to run candidates across the province, if an election is called.
Milobar said there will be more MLAs coming.
Bernier, the former leader of the party, announced he would step down from the role to allow Milobar to be leader.
“When this started about 18 months ago, we wanted to make sure that we were putting together a party and a movement that was about people.”
Milobar said Centre B.C. plans to be “hyper-focused” on healthcare, climate and safety on the streets.
The two were joined by Abbotsford South MLA Bruce Banman, Richmond-Bridgeport MLA Teresa Wat, Boundary-Similkameen MLA Donegal Wilson, Chilliwack-Cultus Lake MLA Á’a:líya Warbus and Prince George-Valemount MLA Rosalyn Bird, who had all previously announced they would join Milobar’s party, along with former B.C.-Conservative-turned-Independent Surrey South MLA Elenore Sturko.
Missing was Delta South MLA Ian Paton, who is joining Centre B.C. but was on vacation at the time of the announcement. Milobar said Paton is “fully on board and committed” to Centre B.C.
Milobar, Banman, Wat, Wilson, Warbus, Bird and Paton are among nine MLAs that left the B.C. Conservatives since mid-August, all citing issues with Leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay.
Sturko was kicked out of the B.C. Conservatives in September 2025 by former party leader John Rustad. Rustad and two other Conservative MLAs were ousted from caucus Friday.
“It’s a you-know-what show going on with the B.C. Conservatives right now. We’ve lost track, and we’re not sure of the timeline. But their leader seems to be expelling members left, right, and centre.”
Bernier said what Premier David Eby is doing – hinting at a snap election- “is actually helping us bring everyone together.”
He said 51 per cent of people in B.C. are looking for an alternative to the major parties already out there.
Milobar said this was about being unified and not splitting the vote with multiple centrist parties if an election should be called.
The two, Milobar said, have been working and talking together “for the last several weeks around doing this exact thing.” He added they planned to make this announcement on the steps of the legislature on Oct. 5 at the start of the fall session.
“Unfortunately, for British Columbians, the premier has decided that he needs to call an unnecessary election, avoid scrutiny in the legislature, and do this less than two years into his mandate. It is simply ridiculous what is going on.”
Eby has yet to call an election, but parties are gearing up for the possibility.
It would come around the same time as the civic elections in B.C., with that general election day set for Oct. 17. The outgoing Union of B.C. Municipalities president Cori Ramsay urged the premier to hold off on calling a provincial election.
With the Abbotsford-Mission byelection going until Sept. 26, and a possible provincial election, that means Elections BC has to stop all paperwork for any other political party that might be trying to get registered.
READ MORE: UBCM president urges premier to hold off on provincial election call