Naval supply ship budget increase of almost $1 billion blamed on problems encountered building vessels, extra labour costs

The leader of British Columbia’s Conservatives spent much of the first debate between premier hopefuls defending, or deflecting from, controversial comments that he and his party’s other candidates have made on issues such as vaccines, climate change and gun control.At Wednesday’s hour-long debate on radio station CKNW – one of two ahead of the Oct. 19 election – the leaders of the provincial NDP, Conservative and Green parties sparred over affordability, the carbon tax and health care, among other topics.