Fares, taxes to rise to fund TransLink plan
Mayors’ Council votes to seek public input on ‘reasonable compromise’
Higher property taxes and increased fares, starting next year, are two of the ways TransLink plans to fund the improved bus, rail and SeaBus services promised in the first phase of its 10-year regional transportation plan.
TransLink’s mayors’ council voted almost unanimously Friday to take the plan to public consultation next month.
While Victoria and Ottawa are picking up most of the tab, TransLink has a $125-million bill for the first phase. The money will come from TransLink’s existing sources, but includes a property tax increase of about $3 a household per year and a fare increase of five to 10 cents on a single fare and $2 on a monthly pass.
The fare and tax increases would kick in next June.
“We’re looking forward to public feedback on this in October,” Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson, who is chair of the mayors’ council, said after the meeting. “For most of us mayors, we want to see this investment move forward and get the new transit services as urgently as possible.”
The first phase of the threephase 10-year plan is supposed to address overcrowding on transit in a number of ways.
Bus service will be increased by 10 per cent across the region, and service will be more frequent on 50 routes that carry 650,000 passengers every day. Up to five new B-Line rapid buses will be added, and some communities that have no bus service at all will finally see buses on their roads. The changes to bus service would begin in January and phase in through 2019. HandyDart service will be expanded.
There are also plans to add 50 new SkyTrain cars across the three lines, buy five new West Coast Express rail cars and start planning work on the Broadway subway line and Surrey light rail network.
Waits for SeaBus will be shorter once a new vessel is added and the frequency of crossings is increased.
The plan also includes improvements to roads and adding new walking and cycling paths.
In June, the federal government committed $370 million for the first phase of the plan. The province has kicked in $246 million.
TransLink has also proposed a fee on new condo and other development to be introduced by 2020 and some kind of mobility pricing in 2021 or 2022. These are subject to provincial approval.
Metro Vancouver mayors earlier refused to raise property taxes to fund transit improvements because the federal and provincial governments weren’t ponying up. Now they are offering significant sums, Robertson said.
“Compared to what we were looking at several years ago — which was a significant property tax hit to get any money into transit, and that was not acceptable to mayors — this is a very small increase, I think, relative to the opportunity,” Robertson told reporters.
“That’s a piece, a catalyst to get the whole 10-year vision in motion. I think it’s a reasonable compromise for the mayors to make.”
However, Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan does not believe the mayors should have compromised, and he showed his opposition to using property taxes as a funding source by voting against sending the first phase of the plan to public consultation. Some other mayors voiced concern, but Corrigan’s was the only dissenting vote.
Corrigan said this increase will open the door to more property tax increases in the future. Instead, he believes the carbon tax should be used to fund transit.
Many of the mayors criticized the provincial government for not providing enough money, and said they hope that the province will increase its contribution on future phases, no matter which party wins the election next spring.
“We need more and we need huge commitments from the province,” said Electoral Area A director Maria Harris.
In a statement, Premier Christy Clark said she was pleased that the council agreed to proceed with the first phase of the plan.
“These investments are going to help us meet rising demand, they are going to ease congestion and they are going to also very importantly reduce our carbon footprint,” Clark said.
Public consultation will take place Oct. 11 to 31. In November, the plan will come back before the mayors’ council and the TransLink board for approval.
The next phase of federal funding is expected to be announced in November. jensaltman@postmedia.com twitter.com/jensaltman