Vancouver mayor confident most taxpayers will support transit funding plan
Posted March 17, 2018 8:10 am.
Last Updated March 17, 2018 8:12 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson is heralding the region’s blueprint to cover 2.5-billion of the $7-billion worth of upgrades which include a new light rail line in Surrey, extending SkyTrain service along Broadway and boosting overall bus service eight per cent.
Robertson says he’s completely on board, even though he won’t be mayor anymore when all those projects are completed.
“You know, people are chipping in every which way –whether riding transit or you own a home, they’re paying taxes different ways,” he says. “I think we’ve spread it around, different tools, so nobody feels the pain too sharp. We’ve got to pay for this. One way or the other, we’ve got to build a lot more transit and dealing with the traffic congestion around the region. We’ve got to fix it.”
Robertson recently announced he’s not seeking re-election this fall.
In December, he lost his role as the chair of the Mayors’ Council to Burnaby’s Derek Corrigan, but he doesn’t seem to have any sour grapes.
“This is a giant win for transportation. Historic investment. $7-billion into rapid transit, buses, cycling, walking and better for car drivers. It’ll reduce traffic congestion and it’s a huge win for all of us.”
The council representing 21 municipalities introduced various proposed fee hikes on Friday.
They include developers having to pay up to $600 more per home they build, parking rates going up at least 15 cents per hour, and transit fares climbing about two per cent starting in 2020.
Property taxes are expected to rise by up to $5.50 in some areas per household each year, or about 46 cents a month, starting in 2019.
According to Surrey’s Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair, the average Phase 2-related property tax hike is expected to be about $4 in that city.
Surrey City Councillor Councillor Tom Gill was at yesterday’s funding announcement on Mayor Linda Hepner’s behalf. “Construction, we’re a couple of years away from that, but I’m really delighted that we’ve got a federal government that’s come to the table, a provincial government that’s come to the table and our regional mayors working together. What we needed to accomplish over the last several months was to close that gap and that’s what we’ve done.”
