Removing the carbon tax and providing tax credits of up to $3,000 a month for rent and mortgages will be among the affordability measures taken if the Conservative Party forms government after the election, leader John Rustad promised in Penticton.

Rustad greeted supporters on Friday evening, Oct. 4, at the Dragonboat Pub, where he was joined by local MLA candidate Amelia Boultbee, a Penticton city councillor since the fall of 2022.

"I don't believe that the basic things that you need, your house, food and energy, should be taxed," Rustad said. "We're going to do everything we can to reduce these costs."

Continuing his tour across the Okanagan, Rustad on Friday did not make any specific policy announcements for the Penticton-Summerland riding.

Before greeting and taking photos with supporters, the Conservative leader spoke for about 20 minutes on affordability, housing, food security, mining, healthcare, agriculture, education, and the opioid crisis.

"As a government, we're going to make sure we invest heavily in agriculture, as we want to see it doubled, and meet the needs of British Columbia," he said, citing the need to increase food security. "If we do this, we'll drive down the costs of housing, energy, and food."

Rustad's visit to the Peach City came after he made his first of several campaign stops in Kelowna. The Conservative leader spent parts of Friday morning announcing his B.C. childcare plan, before making his way to the Skaha Lake area pub.

The former BC Liberal MLA also in Penticton referenced his infrastructure plans for the region, which include building a new bridge in Kelowna across Okanagan Lake by 2032.

Both Rustad and B.C. Premier David Eby are in the Okanagan on Saturday, as they hold duelling events in Kelowna and Vernon.

The provincial election, set for Oct. 19, pits Boultbee against Bradley Bartsch (BC Green Party), Roger Harrington (Independent), Tina Lee (BC NDP), Anna Paddon (Independent), and Tracy St. Claire (Unaffiliated) in the Penticton-Summerland riding.