Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan is taking an “if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all” approach to the upcoming transit plebiscite.
While he voted against the proposed metro congestion improvement tax as a member of the Mayor's Council on Regional Transportation, Corrigan says he isn’t publicly campaigning against it.
“I was outvoted by my colleagues and traditionally when you’re outvoted, you accept the result,” he told the NOW. “And so that’s what I’ve done. I’ve accepted that the mayors are going to go about what they voted on, and I’m not going to try to interfere.”
But Corrigan has not changed his position on the plebiscite, he said.
“I voted against it at the mayors’ council meeting, complaining that the referendum was a bad way to make public policy,” he explained. “I also said that with the governance structure, I couldn’t support going out and asking for more money when I couldn’t be accountable for how the money was spent. And I also complained that there’s a wish-list – there was no prioritization of what would happen after the referendum.”
Despite his concerns, he said he is choosing to step back in the lead up to the plebiscite, just as other mayors are campaigning for a Yes vote.
“I haven’t cast myself as being an opponent to my colleagues because they didn’t agree with me, which I think has given some people concern, because they sort of expected that I’d become an advocate for the No side, and I’d go out and try to defeat the referendum,” Corrigan said. “I did try, and I tried at the meeting, but I was one of those people that had a vote, and I lost.
“Now I’m saying, ‘OK, I don’t agree with what you chose to do but I’m not going to be obstructive to my colleagues,’” he added. “So that’s the distinction I’ve made, and I think they’re all appreciative of it.”
While he doesn’t agree with the way the funding issue has been handled, he said he is a big supporter of public transit.
“It’s kind of ironic for all of them, being one of the biggest supporters and my city being a poster child for using transit, that I’m saying no,” he said. “But I just cannot countenance giving the system more money when I think it’s being spent irresponsibly and I have no way of controlling it.”
Now that the plebiscite is taking place, Corrigan said he’s focusing on what’s best for the continued work of the mayors’ council.
“We have to go work on other issues. So, you know, you don’t want to burn your bridges with your colleagues as a result of losing a vote,” he said.
On March 16, Metro Vancouver residents will begin receiving ballots in the mail, asking whether they support a 0.5 per cent increase to the provincial sales tax to fund the expansion of the regional transit and transportation system. Residents can cast their votes until May 29.
Regional mayors are campaigning for a Yes vote alongside the Better Transit and Transportation Coalition. Jordan Bateman and the Canadian Taxpayers Federation are heading the No Transit Tax campaign.
For more information on the mayors’ council transit plan, go to mayorscouncil.ca.
