The money is there.
That’s what Liberal leader and incumbent Prime Minster Justin Trudeau assured regarding a George Massey Tunnel replacement during a campaign stop in North Delta Wednesday morning.
Trudeau was visiting the home of a family to announce further details on his platform on climate action, including helping homeowners lower their energy bills and make their homes more energy-efficient, before answering a variety of questions from the media on other topics.
When asked by the Delta Optimist if the tunnel replacement project is on his radar and whether the federal government has already talked with the B.C. government about funding to move the project along, Trudeau said he’s fully aware how it’s an important issue for Delta and the region, but it remains upon the province to determine the best option.
“We made the decision in 2015 that the federal government needed to be a partner investing in priorities for communities right across the country,” said Trudeau. “We also made a determination that Ottawa wasn’t the best positioned to determine what exactly the communities’ needs were. We have been there with billions of dollars on the table to work in partnership with provinces and municipalities on their priorities.
The province is in consultations, considering several eight-lane options for a tunnel replacement
“That’s why we are working with the province along with their priorities and I’m very much listening to local representatives, municipal leaders and the province on where and what they need to invest in for the future of these communities. The federal government will be there as a partner, but we will not determine what the right choice for Delta and B.C. is. We will respect the province and the municipalities in their decisions, but the money is there.”
Delta MP Carla Qualtrough, a key member of Trudeau’s cabinet, weighed in on the tunnel replacement a few months ago, saying in a letter to Delta council that it’s essential to replace it with another crossing as soon as possible.
Her government has committed to large-scale infrastructure projects like the tunnel replacement, but the next step is for the province to identify it as a priority, she stated.
Delta Conservative candidate Tanya Corbet last week said that the traffic bottleneck on Highway 99 is not only a daily frustration for commuters, but also impedes one of the most significant trade corridors in Western Canada.
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She pledged that that within the first 100 days of being elected she would convene a summit to bring leaders together “with the goal of reaching a clear roadmap for proceeding with a replacement of the George Massey Tunnel.”
Late last year, the provincial New Democrat government announced the George Massey Tunnel Replacement Project initiated by the previous Liberal government was cancelled.
A consultant’s report concluded the $3.5 billion, 10-lane bridge was not the best way to go, suggesting options could include a smaller bridge or an eight-lane tunnel. The existing tunnel could also remain as part of the future solution.
Premier John Horgan said federal dollars wouldn’t have come with the previous Liberal government bridge plan because it would have been tolled.
A business case on a preferred option is to be completed by late next year.
Delta Mayor George Harvie expressed concern the new timeline appears to have a new crossing ready by 2030 at the earliest, eight years after the bridge would have been completed.
