TransLink funding deadline comes up empty

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VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – So much for a new way to fund TransLink.  A Feb. 28 deadline imposed by the Mayors’ Council won’t result in any new money for the transit authority.

Desperate for new funding options, the mayors had decided in the fall to pressure the province to come up with novel ways to raise the much needed money.

Council chair Richard Walton says though there is no new deal, there won’t be any impact on transit service.

“It will mean no expansion to the system, quite bluntly. There have been commitments laid out already and they are funded up to a point,” he explains.

Homeowners shouldn’t worry about an increase in property taxes, as a result of the funding problems.  Walton says the plan to temporarily hike the taxes will be reversed.

TransLink has also been undergoing some cost-saving measures to trim the budget.

The funding impasse highlights a flaw in the system, says Walton.

“Neither the TransLink board nor the Mayors’ Council or the commission has the authority to raise additional funds to expand transportation without provincial government legislation, and that brings the entire planning process to a halt.”

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