Without a ‘magic money tree,’ public pays for NDP plans
The NDP will remove all bridge tolls? Brilliant! But who will pay?
The Liberals said they will cap toll payments at $500, and this is a smart move. First, it will attract many drivers who currently go around the toll bridges, and second, it will make it more appealing to young families who are thinking of moving to more affordable homes in the Fraser Valley. It will also reduce congestion on other roads that currently get the toll evaders.
But the NDP’s no tolls, $10-a-day daycare and free medical are going to have to be paid by someone. The middle class will pay as the NDP doesn’t have a magic money tree. Quebec has $10 daycare and also the highest tax rates in all of Canada. Under NDP, your taxes will go way up. Of course, this is not an issue to many NDP voters, as all they hear is “free.”
Bill Donaldson, Langley
Killing tolls is fair
It’s about time someone proposed eliminating tolls on our bridges. All the people of B.C. use all of the roads and bridges, one way or the other, from transporting goods and services to vacation travel, tourist use and vital security. We all support each other through taxes to build and repair them and we all make money from them. Eliminating the tolls will free up roads and end this discriminatory tax. It may also cause government to choose more cost-effective means of building mega-projects.
Chad Hardcastle, Richmond
Commuters need ‘a break’
Former Vancouver councillor Gordon Price’s suggestion that capping bridge tolls is bad public policy shows just how out of touch he and the Mayors’ Council are. Public policy should be just that: policy as mandated by the public.
The public has spoken pretty plainly that they are opposed to tolls. Why else are both parties rushing to reduce or eliminate them when votes are on the line?
Price’s suggestion that it would only be fair to also cap transit fares again shows how out of touch he is. Drivers pay a dedicated TransLink tax on every litre of gas they buy, making tolls a double tax on the thousands of people who must commute across a tolled bridge to earn their living. And that does not include the PST they pay when purchasing their vehicle or the extra premium they pay to ICBC for the government dividend that is siphoned off every year.
I think the over-taxed commuter deserves a break. Perry Coleman, Delta
No free ride
There are a lot of promises being made during this election campaign. No more tolls on the bridges, reduced MSP premiums, and all sorts of things that the government in power will “give” us.
We must remember as taxpayers and voters, whatever the government “gives” us, the government takes from us. We must remember that our provincial government is billions of dollars in debt. They cannot afford to “give” us anything. Al Reimer, Sardis
Willie to blame?
It’s sad to see another Canucks coach being let go. Can we really blame Willie Desjardins for the lack of performance? It ultimately boils down to the product — the players — the coach has to work with. Some of the blame should focus on management and ownership. There’s that saying, “You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.”
Peter Walters, Surrey