The TransLink Mayors’ Council on Regional Transportation is requesting more funding from the federal government in order to support its expansion of public transit across Metro Vancouver.
During a meeting last month, the mayors outlined their 10-year plan to keep up with the influx of residents to Vancouver and across the lower mainland.
Expected to cost $20 billion over the next decade, the plan includes doubling buses by 2035, the extension of the millennium line to UBC, rapid transit to the north shore, and the gondola to SFU.
“Public transit is rightly seen by our residents as a basic utility like electricity, drinking water or roads, an essential service that keeps our cities moving, working and successful. Not a nice to have, but a requirement,” said Mayors’ Council chair Brad West.
“Our region is growing faster than ever, and as long as we are stuck in survival mode, our transit system will not be able to keep pace with demand and the essential service it provides.”
The proposal also calls on Ottawa for $250 million in emergency relief funding, to be matched by the province in order to maintain current services, West said.
“Looking ahead to population growth, we are calling on the government to speed up the delivery of the permanent transit fund by two years to 2024. This will ensure that we don’t have to delay projects in the 10-year priority plan.”
TransLink warns that users could possibly see raised fares and a cut in services without funding.
“Metro Vancouver is expected to grow substantially in the near future, which will bring increased pressures on our public transit services,” said CEO Kevin Quinn.
“TransLink will need sustainable and dependable funding to both maintain our current levels of service and prepare for critically needed expansion.”
In addition, the Mayors’ Council is calling for Ottawa to once again permanently double the Canada Community-Building Fund, and increase its annual escalator to 3.5 per cent, to account for construction cost inflation.
It is also asking for a national commission with provinces, transit agencies and local governments to develop a new funding model.