Metro Vancouver Mayors’ Council calls for $250M transit funding from feds

The mayors of Metro Vancouver are calling for the federal government to renew its funding for transit in the region.

City of Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West says Tuesday that the transit system within the area is not keeping up with the rapidly growing population, and is urging the Canadian government to commit new funding for TransLink.

“As you all know, the pandemic was a shock to our transit system and our finances. Now inflationary pressures are making the situation worse, adding unexpected costs,” he said.

“But our challenge is no longer just about surviving the effects of the pandemic and inflation. Public transit is rightly seen by our residents as a basic utility like electricity, drinking water, or roads, and the essential service that keeps our cities moving, working, and successful. Not a nice-to-have, but a requirement.”

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West says the Metro Vancouver Mayors’ Council submitted a “pre-budget proposal” to Canada’s minister of finance, Chrystia Freeland, on Feb. 10, asking for “emergency relief funding” of $250 million, to be matched by the provincial government.

“Without relief funding, we face an impossible decision, cut service and raise fares to preserve the status quo, the existing system. We don’t want to go down that path,” West said.

The proposal for the money will help to maintain services for the region through 2025, West explains, while also looking ahead to delivering the expansion of services the council has already committed to.

“We’re also asking the federal government to speed up the delivery of the permanent transit fund by two years to 2024.

“This will ensure that we don’t have to delay projects that we’ve committed to in the 10-year priorities; projects like the largest expansion of bus service our region has ever seen, pushing bus service further into all parts of Metro Vancouver, especially those fast-growing communities south of the Fraser, [and] new rapid bus transit to the North Shore, and many other priorities,” he said.

West says the province has backed the council’s proposal to the federal government, and “is committed to ensuring Metro Vancouver residents have a reliable public transit system” into the future.

“Metro Vancouver, the province, and the federal government all share the same goal to make our region more sustainable, more affordable, and more livable for everyone. And investing in our public transit and transportation system is a big part of how we accomplish that.

“We are determined to make sure that the voices of Metro Vancouver’s residents are heard in Ottawa.”