UPDATE: BC Premier David Eby still missing-in-action

PENTICTON — British Columbia’s 6-foot 7-in. premier should be easy to find but he hasn't been seen for over a week since visiting the South Okanagan amid the current wildfire emergency.The premier was last documented in Penticton on August 12, where he posed for cameras and held a press conference alongside Emergency Management Minister Kelly Greene and Penticton-Summerland MLA Amelia Boultbee..The photo-ops told the rest of the story: Eby met evacuees at a reception centre, thanked the Sikh Temple for feeding displaced families, and spoke with BC Wildfire Service crews before their next deployment..That was nine days ago. Since then, the premier has issued no further in-person updates.The absence is particularly notable and striking given the high-stakes trade negotiations occurring between Ottawa and Washington. Prime Minister Mark Carney briefed premiers Wednesday and asked them to restock U.S. alcohol — banned in most provinces as retaliation for American tariffs — as a condition of any deal that would pause threatened 50% duties.Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston told reporters, including the Globe and Mail, he was willing to comply if a final agreement materializes, calling the booze ban an “irritant” that has bothered Washington.Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew went much further. He said Carney “effectively” warned there would be no deal without the concession, describing the ask as “the step before begging.” Kinew added that Canada should “fight,” that Trump is “very weak,” and that if American products return to shelves Canadians should “leave it there” and buy Canadian instead..Eby — and Ontario Premier Doug Ford — remain missing-in-action on the specific request.Eby’s social media activity isn’t completely radio silent, however. On Thursday he posted a vague written statement backing “Team Canada” and saying Ottawa had made “substantial progress across strategic sectors.” .That post was followed by two more tweets expressing his sadness — one over a Domtar mill decision affecting workers and another over a fatal small-plane incident in Prince George — but nothing further on the trade talks or the still-active wildfire file..Penticton-Summerland MLA Amelia Boultbee, who crossed the floor to the NDP in July, rejected the rumours Eby is missing in action. She claimed in a Thursday X reply to Conservative Party of BC MLA and former Party Leader John Rustad that the premier is with constituents dealing with the Bald Range fire.“John have you turned on the TV? The premier is with his constituents, dealing on the ground with the fires. Some meetings can be an email — not the case when there are scared and heartbroken constituents all over British Columbia and emergencies where his presence is needed more.”.Commentator Dimitris Soudas, a former communications director to Stephen Harper, offered a simpler explanation. “David Eby didn’t attend yesterday’s meeting with the Prime Minister,” he posted. “He’s on vacation apparently.”.Soudas asked Boultbee whether she had taken any pictures with Eby that Wednesday. She confirmed she had not.The premier’s office has offered no explanation for Eby’s whereabouts in the nine days since the Penticton visit, nor for his continued silence on whether British Columbia will restore U.S. alcohol to liquor-store shelves.If you see Premier Eby, please do not contact your local authorities and do not approach.

UPDATE: BC Premier David Eby still missing-in-action

Related Stories

Where in the world is BC Premier David Eby?

Eby says emergency system ‘a hundred times better’ than two years ago while defending Bald Range fire response

Penticton RCMP confirm first death related to Bald Range wildfire

Walmart parking lot turns into makeshift centre for Summerland wildfire refugees