Warning: This story discusses suicide, which may be triggering for some readers. If you feel like you are in crisis or are considering suicide, please call 9-8-8, the Suicide Crisis Helpline, or the Crisis Centre BC suicide hotline at 1-800-784-2433.

The new Pattullo Bridge will have three-metre safety fences installed along with 10 emergency phones with a direct line to a crisis call centre. 

That news pleases Vanessa Sharma, as this is something she and her family have been advocating for  died.

"I lost my mom due to mental health. She took her life over the Queensborough Bridge right at the height of COVID," said the former New Westminster resident.

Sharma attended a in January where B.C.'s Minister of Transportation and Transit, Mike Farnworth, spoke. During the question period, Sharma asked if safety guards would be installed on the new bridge.

Farnworth said he was taking a tour of the bridge the following week and would get back to her. 

She was delighted when she got an email from a member of Farnworth's team that plans were already in place to install the fencing along the outer perimeter of the bridge. 

The Ministry of Transportation and Transit stated in an email to the Surrey Now-Leader that the "three-metre high, non-climbable safety and security fence (will be installed) along the outside of each side of the bridge, with shape and spacing similar to the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge and Golden Ears Bridge."

Sharma said these actions to install the fences and phones are a step in the right direction.

"I know if these resources were on the Queensborough Bridge, it might have just saved my mother's life," she said. 

A noted a 93 percent reduction in suicide deaths per year when a bridge had some physical intervention structure, such as a bridge barrier. 

Surrey Police said that without doing a extensive search which could take weeks, they could not provide an exact number for the number of mental health calls they received to the Pattullo Bridge in 2024. This is due to the way the calls are categorized; if the call comes in from another location and the person ends up on the bridge, it would not show up in a simple search of the Pattullo Bridge, Sgt. Tige Pollock explained.

Pollock said that after doing a basic search, he found that police in Surrey responded to approximately 19 mental health-related calls in 2024 on the Pattullo Bridge for individuals, but that number could be much higher.

Sharma said she will continue to advocate for safety barriers to be installed on all bridges across the Lower Mainland. The Ironworkers,  Burrard Street and Golden Ears have installed barriers, while several others only have crisis phones installed, including the Port Mann, Alex Fraser and Lions Gate Bridge. 

The Ministry of Transportation and Transit stated that, "Unfortunately, the Port Mann, Lions Gate and Alex Fraser bridges cannot accommodate the additional wind loading from suicide-barrier/tall safety fencing. Any change in a cable-stayed bridge鈥檚 profile, such as a new fence, can influence how the bridge performs in wind."

A spokesperson for the Ministry added that "safety fencing or similar barriers/deterrents will be considered on all new major structures to be built in the Lower Mainland."

Sharma grew up in New Westminster and moved to Cloverdale after her mom died. She later moved to Chilliwack due to the rising costs of living. Sharma ran for the NDP in the federal byelection in Cloverdale-91原创 City and plans to run again in the riding during the next federal election, which is expected to be called on Sunday. 

Sharma also started , where she discusses "raw and real issues" faced by people in the South Asian community. 

"In the South Asian community, it's very frowned upon to talk about mental health and passing that way, and it's very stigmatized," she said. The podcast, which initially began as an outlet for grief, has morphed over the years to advocate for mental health. 

If you feel like you are in crisis or are considering suicide, please call 9-8-8, the Suicide Crisis Helpline or the  suicide hotline at 1-800-784-2433.

Other resources include:  at Toll free: 1-833-456-4566. You can also text 45645 or visit the online chat service at .

Some warning signs include suicidal thoughts, anger, recklessness, mood changes, anxiety, lack of purpose, helplessness and substance use.