WATCH: While many people are still trying to figure out how they will vote in the upcoming transit plebiscite, a new poll shows a no vote would translate into a loss to Metro Vancouver of at least half a billion dollars annually. Grace Ke reports.
Just a week from now, residents of Metro Vancouver will start receiving ballots for the upcoming transit plebiscite.
The plebiscite will decide whether a proposed 0.5 per cent boost in the provincial sales tax that will fund major transit improvements is something people in Metro Vancouver want and approve of.
While the so-called “Yes” side, which supports the proposed tax increase, is facing criticism for tanking in the polls and how it handles its public relations, a new study may provide it with some much needed new ammunition.
The study, conducted by the C.D. Howe Institute, looks at the economic impact of the “No” vote and shows the hidden costs of congestion may amount to between $500 million and $1.2 billion a year in the Metro Vancouver area.
The study specifically looks at how congestion may be affecting people’s plans to travel.
“It is the connections that don’t occur because of congestion,” says Ben Dachis, a Senior Policy Analyst at the C.D. Howe Institute, behind the study. “It is things like people not going to a restaurant or not being able to get to a sports stadium.”
Dachis says their analysis factors in what the new transportation plan would enable people in Metro Vancouver to access in the region and what effects that would have on their income.
It is about the benefits that transportation infrastructure gives people. It gives people in downtown Vancouver access to a better job in, say, Burnaby or Surrey, or it allows people in New Westminster the ability to come down to a restaurant in downtown Vancouver and that restaurant can specialize in something that draws people from the entire urban area, so people can have a better match of what they are looking for and what they can actually get, he says.
Although the study was done by C.D. Howe Institute, an independent not-for-profit institute, it was commissioned by the Real Estate Foundation of BC and Clean Energy Canada, an organization whose mandate is to develop a viable clean power industry in British Columbia.
But Dachis maintains they had complete editorial control of the study and retained their independence.
WATCH: Ben Dachis, a Senior Policy Analyst at the C.D. Howe Institute, talks about their study that shows the “No” vote will cost between $500 million and $1.2 billion annually
Merran Smith, the director of Clean Energy Canada, says they did not anticipate the numbers showing the hidden costs of congestion to be as big.
“Congestion does not only mean the traffic does not move around, it means the money is not moving around,” says Smith. “But if you think about it, it makes sense. If you’re stuck in traffic, you can’t get out and have another business meeting…It takes away from people’s interest or ability to do more business.”
Smith says it is unfortunate the “Yes” side is asking people if they want a new tax.
“People’s inclination is to vote no to a new tax,” she says. “Congestion is like sand in the gears of a city. It clogs it up. Good transit and transportation system is going to grease those wheels. It means there is going to be a better economy here and that’s good for everyone.”
The study comes on the same day as an Insights West poll that shows the “No” side remains ahead: 55 per cent of respondents say they will definitely or probably vote “No,” while 33 per cent claim they will definitely or probably vote “Yes.”
A similar poll conducted in December of last year, showed that, at the time, the “Yes” side was backed by 52 per cent of respondents, while the “No” side was at 39 per cent.
Source: Insights West
Just last week, the Mayors’ Council announced, should the “Yes” side win in the upcoming transit plebiscite, a public accountability committee to oversee the funds collected through tax revenue would be chaired by Canadian business magnate and philanthropist Jim Pattison after questions were raised about the transparency of a recent transit plebiscite town hall where TV cameras, including Global BC reporter Jeremy Hunka, were not allowed in.
The Insights West poll looked at what effect, if any, that had on potential voters.
The poll showed that, across the region, three-in-four residents (74 per cent) were aware of Pattison’s agreement.
WATCH: The transit plebiscite ballots will start arriving in one week but what does this latest poll mean for both sides? Keith Baldrey looks at what’s behind the no vote pulling ahead.
It says the announcement had little immediate impact on residents who are thinking of voting “No.” Only three per cent of “No” voters say Pattison’s presence in the committee makes them more likely to vote “Yes.”
Across Metro Vancouver, nine-in-ten residents say they are aware of the upcoming plebiscite, and 78 per cent claim to be very or somewhat familiar with it.
The voting will happen by mail from March 16 to May 29. You have to be registered to vote.
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