British Columbia’s premier-designate is calling on the outgoing New Democrat provincial government to halt work on a Massey Tunnel replacement that would not support switching to a bridge option that he promised ahead of last month’s election. Lorne Doerkson also says in a statement that he is not asking for all construction to stop, and necessary work should continue “until cabinet is in a position to finalize the project’s direction.” Doerkson committed on the campaign trail to scrapping the $8.5-billion replacement tunnel in favour of a bridge originally announced under the BC Liberals in 2013. He says his incoming B.C. Conservative government believes a bridge represents the best value for taxpayers, while saying it intends to conduct a review of the tunnel “and its alternatives.” The Massey Tunnel replacement has been a major political fault line between the NDP and rival parties for years, with late former premier John Horgan cancelling the BC Liberals’ bridge after he took office in 2017 and switching to a tunnel in 2021. Doerkson and the Conservatives won a sweeping majority in the Oct. 24 provincial election, winning about two-thirds of the seats in legislature. “British Columbians have elected a new government with a mandate to take a hard look at major infrastructure priorities and make sure taxpayers are getting the best possible value and we believe that is a new bridge,” Doerkson says in the statement. He also says no new contracts or procurement decisions that would lock the province into a tunnel option should proceed, although the new government would respect additional contacts. “We should not be spending more money or making new commitments that lock British Columbians into the tunnel option before the incoming government has completed its review,” Doerkson says. The federal government has previously pledged to cover a third of the cost of a replacement for the Fraser River crossing, to a maximum of $3 billion. Federal Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon said after the B.C. election that Ottawa supports “crossing that river whatever way the premier tells us to.” This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2026.
