Transit referendum remains a frustration for regional mayors
Posted January 22, 2014 5:16 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – The region’s mayors are presenting a united front at the end of a two hour closed-door session on transit.
The local leaders don’t like the province’s plan for a funding referendum and the lack of detail around it.
Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson is among those who are frustrated at the BC government. “They’re responsible for this referendum, and they are leaving everyone in the region in the dark so far.”
Port Coquitlam Mayor Greg Moore says there are still a number of questions that need to be answered. “We don’t know the parameters of the referendum. We don’t know anything about the referendum. Do you have a certain voter turnout to make it quantifiable? Does it have to be a 50 per cent plus one, or a larger majority? We don’t know the type of funding structure they are going to look at.”
There is also little appetite among the mayors to help the province phrase the wording of the referendum question. Despite the frustration, the mayors continue to wait for information from the minister about how he intends to proceed. North Vancouver District Mayor Richard Walton, who was acclaimed to continue serving as chair of the Mayors’ Council, expects to hear suggestions about how TransLink could be governed differently. The mayors want more say in transit matters.
“That’s the fundamental concern we’ve had from the very beginning. These are critical decisions for the region and we’re outside that realm of consultation,” he says.
Recent suggestions from Transportation Minister Todd Stone have upset the mayors. Stone suggested a property tax hike could fund much of the transit expansion.
Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts is among those who take exception to that. “To think that seniors on a fixed income or young families trying to get a start, because they are all moving south of the Fraser due to affordability, I can certainly say that this is unaffordable for a homeowner.”
Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan thinks the minister is seeking to pass blame onto cities. “This has become a sham. It’s become merely a political football. And that’s why I think the minister is out, attacking the mayors, because he’s messed this up badly.”
The mayors expect to meet again within weeks.
