B.C. Conservatives vow to scrap Massey Tunnel replacement and build a bridge instead

The B.C. Conservatives have announced a plan to scrap the Massey Tunnel replacement project and build a new 10-lane bridge linking Richmond and Delta. The party says the bridge could cut commutes by up to 30 minutes. The plan revives a bridge proposal from the former BC Liberal government, which was changed to a new tunnel under the New Democrats. The Conservatives say that “after nine years of the NDP, nothing has been built.”

The party also pledged to complete the new hospital in Surrey’s Cloverdale neighbourhood, a project that has faced delays and budget overruns, and to build another hospital specifically for women and children.

NDP Leader David Eby shifted his campaign focus to transit, promising free bus passes for 350,000 low-income seniors across the province. He says a re-elected NDP government would also support an “updated” bus route to the new Cowichan-region hospital, which is set to open next year. Eby made two Surrey-specific announcements: his government would earmark $250 million to leverage federal funding and expand rapid bus service along King George Boulevard from Surrey to nearby White Rock; and Surrey would receive its own municipal charter, granting the city the same kind of authority Vancouver has.

BC Greens Leader Emily Lowan released a labour plan she says would “strengthen and support B.C.’s workers and unions.” She accused the NDP of using its “brand” as a party to cover up an “anti-labour agenda.” The Greens say they would increase the minimum wage annually by one percentage point above inflation until it matches the living wage. They would also change bargaining rules so unions could reach collective agreements covering all workers in an economic sector, rather than individual workplaces.

CentreBC announced a plan to add 500 RCMP officers and 60 Crown prosecutors, along with “practical interventions” to reduce repeat offending. The party’s leader, Elenore Sturko, is a former RCMP officer. CentreBC says it would double funding for two programs targeting repeat and violent offenders, bringing their annual funding to about $26 million.

The party also says it would open two voluntary recovery units in provincial correctional facilities by 2028-29, one for men and one for women. It would ask Ottawa to direct prosecutors to charge people found in possession of drugs in public.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 15, 2026.