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British Columbia’s political parties returned to the campaign trail Thursday, one day after their leaders’ televised debate, with each party pushing distinct policy positions on transit, infrastructure, public safety and workers’ rights.
Eby Targets Transit and Tunnel Costs
BC NDP leader David Eby made his fifth visit to Surrey during the campaign, announcing two transit-related commitments. First, he promised to eliminate the $45 bus pass fee for low-income seniors and expand eligibility for the program. Second, he announced dedicated funding for a major regional transit project.
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“This commitment is backed with $250 million in funding in order for us to work with the federal government to deliver bus rapid transit between Surrey and White Rock,” Eby said.
Eby also pushed back against BC Conservative calls to abandon the Massey Tunnel replacement project. He warned that switching course again would waste years of planning and put federal money at risk. “We’re talking about years of additional waste as they redesign the project yet again, with drivers stranded,” he said. “It puts $3 billion in federal funding at risk, maybe never to be seen again.”
Conservatives Push for 10-Lane Bridge
The BC Conservatives took a different position on the Massey crossing. They promised to scrap the current tunnel replacement plan and instead build a 10-lane bridge. BC Conservative candidate for Delta South, Ian Paton, argued the bridge would save taxpayers money and be completed faster.
“It totally makes sense on saving money for the taxpayers, getting this bridge built faster than they can build this tunnel, and environmentally it’s way further ahead,” Paton said.
The Massey crossing has a long and costly history. In 2013, then-premier Christy Clark announced a $3 billion, 10-lane toll bridge, originally scheduled to open in 2022. The incoming BC NDP government cancelled that plan four years later. In 2021, the NDP announced an eight-lane tunnel replacement. However, in 2026, the government dismissed the main design consortium. The estimated cost has since doubled to more than $8 billion, with completion now expected in 2031.
Eby noted that construction of a staging area for the tunnel replacement is already underway. He also attacked his Conservative opponent, Lorne Doerkson, for not yet releasing a costed platform showing how the party would fund its promises.
Conservative Candidate Dropped Over Holocaust Remarks
Meanwhile, the BC Conservatives confirmed they had removed a candidate from the race. Jordan McIntosh, who was running in Vancouver-Strathcona, faced accusations of posting online remarks about Hitler and the Holocaust. The party confirmed his removal in a post on X.
“If elected, he will not sit in caucus,” the party stated.
Safety and Workers’ Rights on the Campaign Trail
CentreBC leader Elenore Sturko also campaigned in Surrey on Thursday. She focused on public safety, promising to hire 500 additional RCMP officers to the provincial policing line if elected. Sturko said the goal is to address vacancies and expand key units over five years, adding roughly 100 officers per year.
“Under the NDP and previous governments, the RCMP provincial line stayed stagnant at 2,602 officers,” Sturko said. She added that her plan would also target extortion crime and dangerous repeat offenders.
Meanwhile, BC Green Party leader Emily Lowan continued campaigning on Vancouver Island. She appeared in North Saanich and focused her message on labour rights and economic fairness. Lowan accused the BC NDP of failing workers despite its political branding.
“For too long, our government has taken workers for granted,” she said. “It has used the NDP brand as cover to enact an anti-labour agenda, evident in Eby’s BC NDP overseeing the longest public sector strike, and longest nursing strike, in our province’s history.”
Lowan said the Greens pushed for sectoral bargaining during negotiations with the NDP. Under this model, developed by labour mediator Vince Ready, unions could reach collective agreements covering all workers across an entire sector, rather than negotiating workplace by workplace. She said Eby’s refusal to support the model confirmed he does not stand with workers.
In addition, Lowan announced that a BC Green government would raise the minimum wage each year at the rate of inflation plus one per cent, continuing until it reaches parity with the living wage.
