The BC election call as seen from Kamloops, Okanagan

Peter Milobar has jumped back to the BC Conservatives as the shifting alliances in the opposition swing back for the snap provincial election call.

Milobar’s brief stint with the new Centre BC party ended today, Sept. 22, amid rumours of a potential merger between the two parties, but the Kamloops Centre MLA left without discussing it with his new party’s leadership.

In a written statement, Centre BC president Mike Wignail said Milobar did not stand by commitments he made to the party, which he stepped in to lead less than a week ago.

Premier David Eby called a provincial election today, which will be held on Oct. 24.

Kamloops and Okanagan MLAs are now almost entirely under the BC Conservative banner again after a wave of resignations from the opposition.

Kelowna-Mission MLA Gavin Dew took to social media declaring Eby’s snap election call has “united the centre right” and “awakened a sleeping dragon.”

Penticton-Summerland MLA Amelia Boultbee, now with the BC NDP, responded on social media to troll the Conservative messaging.

Rumours of an election circulated for days, especially after Kerry-Lynne Findlay’s resignation as Conservative leader.

Kamloops-North Thompson MLA Ward Stamer called for MLAs to reunite under the BC Conservative banner, Sept. 21, after a swath of resignations set off by Milobar several weeks ago.

The provincial election will come a week after municipal voting day across BC.

How receptive voters will be to casting a ballot twice in a month is yet to be seen, but Kamloops city council candidate Jesse Ritcey, a local organizer for the BC NDP, said in a social media post he’s optimistic it could translate to a higher-than-average turnout for municipal elections, he said in a social media post.

Some of the region’s MLAs have changed allegiances multiple times since 2024. None more than Milobar, who went from BC United to Conservative, then independent to Centre BC and back to the Conservatives. Boultbee left the Conservatives to sit as an independent before joining the BC NDP.

Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream MLA Tara Armstrong left the BC Conservatives for the far-right party OneBC before she was ousted. She remains an independent and has vowed to campaign as one despite earlier rumours she may join the Conservatives under Findlay.

The parties have not merged and it does not appear likely they will, but the BC Conservatives allowed several MLAs to rejoin its ranks in recent days.

It’s not clear whether interim Conservative leader Lorne Doerksen will stay in his role, nor whether Milobar has eyes on taking over the leadership as the province heads toward an Oct. 24 election.

Milobar has not responded to requests for comment.