B.C. election: NDP to talk transit funding, Liberals unveil small business support Thursday

BC NDP Leader John Horgan is expected to announce a provincial commitment to complete the SkyTrain all the way into Langley if the Metro Vancouver mayors agree the project is a priority.

Federal, provincial and municipal funding was secured to run light rail transit from King George Station in Surrey into Langley, but Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum pushed for the project to be changed to SkyTrain.

The higher cost of SkyTrain means there is currently not enough funding to get the line all the way to Langley. The $1.6 billion in secured funding is only enough to build the line four stops to 166 Street in Surrey’s Fleetwood neighbourhood. The estimated cost is another $1.5 billion to complete the extension to Langley City Centre.

1:54 Surrey-Langley SkyTrain extension would cost significantly more than funding

Horgan will be in Langley with local candidate Andrew Mercier. Liberal Mary Polak won the seat by 9.79 per cent in 2017 but, with recent polls indicating the NDP are well ahead in Metro Vancouver, the riding is one now being targeted.

The NDP platform announced a Recovery Investment Fund, which adds one per cent of GDP — or approximately $3 billion — to the capital plan each year, for a total of $9 billion in new capital investments over three years.

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“We’ll work with communities to complete the Skytrain expansion project and add new rail and rapid bus lines,” reads the NDP platform.

Horgan has also promised to widen Highway 1 from Surrey to Abbotsford. The goal is to have the widening complete by 2026.

The NDP is also promising to make TransLink and BC Transit free for kids up to and including age 12.

BC Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson will be making two announcements on Thursday.

The morning will be spent in Delta South where Wilkinson is expected to make a COVID-19 pandemic-related small business tax announcement.

The BC Liberals have still not released a full platform.

0:44 Keith Baldrey on ‘scripted’ election campaigns

The tax measure will be targeted at supporting small businesses as they struggle to get through the pandemic.

Wilkinson’s afternoon will be spent in Surrey, where he will be making a health care-related announcement.

Green Party Leader Sonia Furstenau will be Shawnigan Lake on Thursday to make an announcement about community resilience and food security.

Horgan, Wilkinson and Furstenau will all be participating in a virtual Greater Vancouver Board of Trade event Thursday.