Vaughn Palmer: As election call was imminent, NDP dropped any pretence of fiscal prudence

Advertisement 1 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Breadcrumb Trail Links HomeNewsLocal NewsPoliticsOpinionColumnists Vaughn Palmer: As election call was imminent, NDP dropped any pretence of fiscal prudence Opinion: Party reverses course after stalling hospital expansion, but won't say if cost overruns were reined in Author of the article: By Vaughn Palmer Published Sep 24, 2026 Last updated 1 hour ago 4 minute read Join the conversation Burnaby Hospital Phase 1 at right, while sign teases the cancer treatment centre planned for Phase 2. PHOTO BY ARLEN REDEKOP /PNG Article content VICTORIA — The New Democrats have abandoned any commitment to fiscal discipline with the announcement on the eve of the election call that they were reactivating the expansion of Burnaby Hospital. Article content The Phase 2 expansion was put on hold earlier this year as part of a supposedly “tough” fiscal plan to rein in some capital projects as wildly overbudget. Article content Article content Leading the charge then was Bowinn Ma, minister of a new Ministry of Infrastructure with a mandate to get a handle on planning for hospitals, long-term care home and other capital projects. Article content Article content “The province’s fiscal situation isn’t a secret to anyone, right?” Ma explained to Alec Lazenby of Postmedia last spring. Article content Sunrise Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. Sign Up By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Article content “Given the deficit that we are currently operating here in B.C., we have been forced to take a really hard look at spending and investments, and plans for the next several years. Article content “One of the factors that we looked at was whether a project was really ready to go. Burnaby Hospital was one of those projects that was not ready to go. The design had come in hundreds of millions of dollars over budget.” Article content The government had already spent $45 million on the Phase 2 expansion. Still the contract with the would-be builder was cancelled and the project was sent back to the drawing board a redesign to fit within the original $1.8 billion budget. Article content Also placed on hold — the government’s preferred euphemism was “re-pacing” — were a half dozen long-term care homes costed at an exorbitant $1.8 million a bed. Article…