A month after the BC Conservatives were losing MLAs and trailing by 10 points, the party now leads the governing NDP by five points among decided voters, according to an Ipsos poll conducted for Global BC from Oct. 7 to 11.
The Conservatives sit at 43 per cent, the NDP at 38 per cent and the BC Greens at 11 per cent, with OneBC at four per cent and CentreBC at two. Another 25 per cent of respondents were undecided or expressed no preference.
The regional picture is uneven. Metro Vancouver is close, with the Conservatives ahead 42 to 39. The NDP leads by 20 points on Vancouver Island, while the Conservatives lead by 21 points across the Southern Interior and the North.
Ipsos also found a wide gender gap: men favour the Conservatives by 18 points, while women favour the NDP by nine.
The three main party leaders meet in the campaign's only scheduled televised debate on Wednesday, Oct. 14, from 6:15 to 8 p.m. Final voting day is Oct. 24.
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