A plebiscite in Vancouver is underway that would, if passed, fund many new transit projects in the area, but documents show that the provincial government in BC has concerns that may stop the projects from going forward even if the referendum passes.
In a briefing note obtained through access to information laws that described a meeting the Ministry of Transportation held last year, the proposed plan was referred to as ‘unrealistic’ and concerns were brought forward about the province’s ability to pay.
The briefing note said, “The Minister communicated to the mayors and the public that the province had concerns with the Vision, in particular: unrealistic assumptions on the level of senior government funding, short timelines for build out of major capital projects, and use and infrastructure of provincial carbon tax.”
To put it more plainly, the minister was worried that the mayors were asking for too much money from the province and could not get the projects done in the 10 years they specified.
Then as now, the transit projects would cost around $7.5 billion. The mayors asked the province for $1.6 billion of that money.
However, the briefing note also stated tat the amount of money the province could contribute would be less than that, as that money needs to be available for use on a variety of infrastructure projects across the province, not only in the Metro Vancouver area.
The new transit plans were put forward by the Mayors’ Council on Regional Transportation, made up of representatives of municipalities in the Metro Vancouver Area.
The plans include replacement of the Patullo Bridge, 25 per cent more bus service in the area, and 30 per cent more accessible transit for people with disabilities. There would be new rapid bus lines for the most congested areas of the city, including several new routes that would serve UBC, the University of British Columbia.
(In another briefing note, the government stated that it wanted to time the vote for this March so that UBC students would get a chance to vote on the matter that affects them.)
In the document in which they laid out their vision, the council stressed the need for action. “Our population is growing, but our transit system is not,” they sai>d.
They also said it would require a significant amount of money just to maintain what already exists.
If passed, the plebiscite will allow the mayors’ council to increase municipal taxes by 0.5 per cent in order to fund the new projects. This will come from an increase in the province’s carbon tax and be harmonized with its provincial sales tax.
However, there are still no guarantees that that amount will actually make up for what is needed.
“As with any tax framework there is uncertainty,” said Sonia Lowe, a spokesperson for the transportation ministry, in an emailed statement.
“The BC government has committed to funding one-third of new rapid transit projects in Metro Vancouver and the new Pattullo Bridge, provided they can be accommodated within the provincial fiscal plan and the investments are supported by a strong business case.”
Lowe added that this would require up to a quarter of a million dollars a year for the projected ten years of the transit expansion.
The plebiscite began on March 16th of this year. Metro Vancouver residents can vote until May 29th.
What were the documents?
The document was a briefing note summarizing a meeting the Minister of Transportation of BC had with representatives from the Mayors’ Council.
Where did you get them?
I got them from the BC Ministry of Transportation
What did they tell you?
The transit plebiscite is being covered in the media as though it were a done deal if it passes. This briefing note showed that the province had reservations about the project and that there still may be obstacles to come.
Links to documents and requests:
“Records used”
“My requests”
“Informal requests.”
Responses:
“Responses 1”
“Responses 2”
“Responses 3”
“Responses 4”
“Responses 5”