The massive first phase of TransLink’s Access for Everyone plan has been approved by the TransLink Mayors’ Council on Thursday.
The council will be sending a submission to the federal minister of finance calling for Canada to join the region and the province in developing a funding model.
“(Thursday) the Mayors’ Council has agreed on a plan for the new and expanded transit services we will need to accommodate population growth and put affordable housing within reach for everyone in our communities,” said Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West, TransLink Mayors’ Council’s chair.
“Transit-oriented development is a key component of the province’s and region’s plan to respond to the housing affordability crisis, but without federal financial support and a sustainable funding model to help deliver additional transit into the future, we won’t be successful.”
In the submission ahead of the 2024-25 federal budget, the council is asking the government of Canada to support the creation of three Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) projects, commit new capital funding for the Permanent Transit Fund and join the working group between B.C. and TransLink to assist in developing a new transit funding model.
The council said Metro Vancouver’s transit services are “essentially frozen” at 2019 levels, even though the region’s population has grown by nearly 200,000 people since 2019.
“The Access for Everyone plan is designed to deliver new rapid transit routes and additional bus service to support growth, affordability and climate action, with benefits for everyone in the region,” the council said in a release.
The Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) projects the mayors’ council is asking Canada help for are:
- Park Royal (North Shore) to Metrotown (Burnaby) vis Phibbs Exchange and Willingdon Avenue
- Langley to Maple Ridge along 200 Avenue, the Golden Ears Bridge and Lougheed Highway
- Surrey to White Rock along King George Boulevard
The capital funds that are requested for the Permanent Transit Fund will be used for a number of large-scale upgrades for TransLink, such as expanding TransLink’s bus fleet ($375 million), adding bus depot capacity ($1.4 billion), and transportation and road safety projects ($70 million).
“Time is running out. For TransLink to reduce overcrowding as soon as possible, and enable the substantial service expansion we need in the coming years, we must have both federal and provincial funding commitments for this first phase of Access for Everyone, no later than mid-2024,” West said.
The entire Access for Everyone plan can be read online.
A spokesperson with the federal Ministry of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities offered a statement in response to the councils requests.
“As a government, we know that investing in public transit shortens commute times for families, creates good jobs for the middle class, grows our economy, and helps combat climate change. That’s why we invested more than $13 billion in 1,300 projects from 2015-2021. In 2021, the federal government announced an additional $14.9 billion for such projects over eight years (which) includes a $3 billion per year permanent transit fund for communities across the country,” Micaal Ahmed said.
“It will launch in 2026 and will provide stable funding so that they can build and expand their transit systems. We have heard the requests that the TransLinks Mayors’ Council made, and we hope to be able to share additional details regarding the next phase of transit funding in the coming months.”