DCC NOW | PROVINCIAL POLITICS | HOUSING & LOCAL GOVERNMENT
BC’s New Government: What Could Change?
Housing rules • Local control • Massey Crossing
Promises, questions and what comes next. B.C.’s premier-designate says his government will be ready on day one. The open questions for municipalities across the province — and especially for Delta — are what happens to the housing laws that now shape local land-use decisions, and whether the Massey Crossing promise moves forward.
Published October 26, 2026 | By DCC Now
THE QUICK READ
- Conservatives won a majority on October 24, 2026. Preliminary results: about 63 seats (final count November 6).
- Lorne Doerkson is premier-designate. No cabinet or swearing-in date yet. Oath ceremonies cannot happen until results are certified (expected around November 18).
- Transition team: Kim Henderson (former deputy minister under Christy Clark) has been named to lead it. Doerkson has spoken to the Lieutenant-Governor.
- Day-one priorities confirmed: independent review of provincial finances, expert commission on emergency rooms, and a bill raising the personal income tax exemption to $32,000.
- He is not ruling out a fall sitting of the legislature.
- Massey Crossing: He reconfirmed on Sunday that the government will cancel the tunnel and build a 10-lane bridge instead.
- Housing and local control: No new statements yet on Bills 44, 46 and 47 or the Local Government Act.
- Delta note: Both Delta ridings (North: Monica Mohan; South: Ian Paton) are Conservative-held.
A new government, a new list of promises
British Columbians woke up on October 25 to a change of government. The B.C. Conservatives, led by Lorne Doerkson, won a majority in the snap election called by NDP Leader David Eby. Preliminary results showed the Conservatives leading in roughly 63 of 93 seats.
On Sunday, Doerkson held a press conference and said his government would be ready on day one. He confirmed an independent review of the province’s finances would begin immediately, an expert commission on keeping emergency rooms open and cutting wait times within the first 100 days, and a bill raising the personal income tax exemption to $32,000. He has spoken to the Lieutenant-Governor and named Kim Henderson, a former deputy minister to Christy Clark, to lead the transition team.
He repeated that his government will not raise taxes or make deep cuts to essential services. He did not rule out a fall sitting of the legislature. He also said the economy would be supercharged through LNG and new energy markets, and that among his first calls would be to the Prime Minister and Alberta’s premier on the Pacific Link pipeline.
What is confirmed, and what is not
- Confirmed: majority result, Doerkson as premier-designate, transition team led by Kim Henderson, day-one finance review, tax exemption bill, ER commission, and reconfirmed Massey bridge plan.
- Not yet announced: cabinet, exact swearing-in date, and any specific changes to housing or Local Government Act rules.
Housing rules and local control across B.C.
The housing laws passed in 2023, commonly called Bills 44, 46 and 47, are now provisions of the Local Government Act. Municipalities across the province apply them on zoning, subdivision and development fee decisions. A new government can only amend the Act or leave it alone.
During the 2024 campaign a Conservative candidate said the party viewed those bills as housing policy changed without proper consultation with municipalities, and promised to amend the Local Government Act to cut red tape and create a B.C. Development Tribunal. That was one candidate’s answer two years ago. As of Monday, DCC Now has found no new statement from Doerkson confirming what the incoming government will do with these rules.
The Massey Crossing promise
On October 15 Doerkson said a Conservative government would cancel the NDP’s immersed-tube tunnel (estimated at $8.5 billion) and revive the 10-lane George Massey Bridge. On Sunday he reconfirmed that plan. Delta South’s new MLA Ian Paton has also argued a bridge would be faster and cheaper.
No construction start date, opening target or updated budget has been given. The earlier bridge estimates were lower, and federal funding of up to $3 billion tied to the tunnel project could be affected. DCC Now has found no further detail since the Sunday press conference.
The leadership question
Doerkson was named interim leader only days before the election. The party constitution does not allow an interim leader to hold the position permanently without a rule change requiring two-thirds support at a members’ meeting. The party has said it will pursue the means to keep him on. As of Monday there is still no report of a members’ meeting being called.
Why this matters in Delta
Both Delta ridings are now Conservative-held (Delta North: Monica Mohan; Delta South: Ian Paton). The Local Government Act rules on small-scale multi-unit housing, development charges and public hearings apply in Delta the same way they apply elsewhere. The Massey Crossing decision will directly affect traffic and infrastructure in Delta and the region.
Questions DCC Now will be tracking
- Will the Local Government Act provisions on small-scale multi-unit housing be amended, narrowed or left as they are?
- Will development cost charge and amenity cost charge rules change?
- Will public hearings be restored where the law now removes them?
- Will a B.C. Development Tribunal be created?
- What is the timeline, cost and federal funding plan for the Massey bridge?
- When will the party hold the members’ meeting on Doerkson’s leadership?
- Will the independent finance review affect what the Province asks of municipalities?
What you can do now
Residents do not have to wait for the first throne speech. Write to your MLA and ask where the new government stands on the Local Government Act and public hearings. Keep questions specific and ask for a written answer.
Reporting based on coverage from Indo-Canadian Voice, Vancouver Sun, Daily Hive, Globe and Mail, CityNews and Elections BC preliminary results. DCC Now does not endorse any candidate or party.