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With a tight B.C. election only weeks away, one party leader has detailed his construction priorities to an industry audience. 

BC Conservative Party Leader John Rustad addressed attendees at the ICBA Construction Innovation Summit in Vancouver on Oct. 3 and laid out the party’s agenda should it be elected on Oct. 19.

The (ICBA) previously endorsed the BC Conservative party on Sept. 12.

Rustad pledged to expand some projects including adding two additional lanes to the Pattullo Bridge project and committing to a new bridge across Okanagan Lake in the B.C. interior by 2032 as well as a replacement to the aging Iron Worker’s Bridge.

He also pledged to dial back on the Massey Tunnel project and return to a previous plan to replace the tunnel with a bridge.

In an interview with the Journal of Commerce after his speech, Rustad explained funding for new and current projects would in part come from pinpointing overspending from the previous provincial government.

“A lot of this has to do with an opportunity to look at the books, look at cost overruns, and get savings and efficiencies,” Rustad said.

“The big thing that needs to be done is get the (overall) economy going in a major way.”

Rustad also stressed the importance of a national free-trade policy encompassing both goods and labour.

“We want a Canada-wide free trade agreement that’s not just about trade but also labour and skills. We want workers to come here and be able to work in the province,” he said.

It was also important, Rustad said, for B.C. to have more control over the immigration process.

“One of the things we’re going to announce is taking control of our own immigration. Making decisions 3,000 miles from here doesn’t make sense,” he said.

When asked about procurement of large public infrastructure projects, Rustad said “the main focus is to derisk.”

“We need to scope out projects properly so companies know what they’re getting into. Derisking projects is an important part of being as efficient as possible with (the public’s) tax dollars,” he said.

Rustad was previously pressed at a Vancouver Regional Construction Association event in August by industry stakeholders about prompt payment. When asked by the Journal of Commerce he reiterated taking a cautious approach.

“We want to make sure there’s no unintended consequences before implementation, and we’ll be looking (at previous implementation) in other provinces,” he said.

The previously submitted a document examining prompt payment and adjudication regimes across Canada in November 2023 which was submitted to B.C.’s Ministry of the Attorney General, Minister of Finance and Premier David Eby.

In his speech to conference attendees, Rustad also pledged to expand B.C.’s liquified natural gas (LNG) industry.

“We have three pipeline permits that expire in November and would then go into environmental assessment (again). The first thing we’ll do is give a 10-year extension,” he said.

Rustad also criticized surplus and said some of the funds could be employed elsewhere.

�´ǰ��쳧���ڱ����’s surplus funds totalled $2.1 billion, according to an August 2024 media release.

“We don’t need that large a surplus as long as we’re making sure we’re taking care of workers,” Rustad said.

The and have released their platforms. As of publication, the BC Conservatives have not yet released their platform but Rustad remarked at the event it would become available soon.