In response to last week’s plea to keep transit funded by the mayors of Surrey and Vancouver, Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan says he’s not impressed.
At last week’s Vancouver Board of Trade Economic Outlook Forum, both Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts and Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson said if the TransLink funding referendum on Nov. 15 failed, the economy would go down with it.
However, Corrigan says the mayors of B.C.’s two biggest cities are only thinking of themselves because they have major transportation projects proposed for their cities.
“Both Dianne Watts and Gregor Robertson are motivated by self interest,” he told the Burnaby NOW. “Both have mega projects they want the region to fund. They’re advocating for TransLink because they want their projects to go ahead. Both have made political commitments to their communities on big projects.”
At the meeting, the mayors said TransLink funding was needed for three rapid transit lines in Surrey, and a connection from the Millenium Line to a new subway connecting to the University of British Columbia, according to the Vancouver Sun.
But Corrigan said neither projects are timely, given the major expenses that have already been put into the Canada Line and Evergreen Line.
“Both mayors have to be far more realistic about the agenda for TransLink over the next decade,” he added. “And what I find unfortunate is, in many cases, mayors are focused on mega projects when the reality is the ridership wants more … opportunities to utilize buses.”
Corrigan says transit upgrades need to come modestly and focus on making the system easier for riders.
“Politicians often focus on sexy projects, … and that, unfortunately, is the history of transit in our communities,” he said. “The mega projects get all the attention and the bus system is left to whither.”
Corrigan also said he didn’t expect Watts and Robertson to speak vocally on keeping transit well funded.
“Honestly, I’m surprised Watts and Robertson are jumping out in front of this issue,” he said. “I’m surprised, and I suspect in this situation when they see the light at the end of the tunnel – it’s probably a train.”
Campaigning for any funds to go towards a mega project in Burnaby will not be on council’s agenda, Corrigan noted, until TransLink's governance issues are addressed.
“The idea that one item, of the multitude of things the government decides, ends up in referendum seems, to me, to be ludicrous,” he added. “They managed to approve pipelines without any referendum.”
As for the referendum, Robertson said he expects the referendum to fail, while Watts said she wasn’t sure how the provincial government should approach it.
But Burnaby’s mayor says the referendum will happen no matter what.
“I think it’s going to happen,” Corrigan said, despite no information on how the referendum will be phrased or campaigned for has been released. “They’ve boxed themselves in, they’ve got no option.”
In a previous interview, TransLink spokesperson Jiana Ling said the transit authority does not know how the referendum will be phrased, or what to expect.
- With files from the Vancouver Sun
