Watts proposes transit referendum question
Posted January 16, 2014 12:17 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Even though she is against holding a referendum on how to fund transit in the Lower Mainland, the Mayor of Surrey is proposing a formal question.
Dianne Watts wants to know if you agree with the following.
“Do you support the reduction in gas tax, a cap on the existing three per cent on property taxes for TransLink and an implementation of a fair and equitable road pricing policy under one dollar to fund the expansion of the transportation system?”
She doesn’t know if other mayors will agree with this or not. “It is a provincial initiative so we are waiting for the minister to have a meeting with us and let us know what the plan is.”
Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson is throwing his support behind her question.
The referendum is supposed to be held during the civic election this November, but Watts feels it should be a separate issue altogether.
“[To] just have it as a consultation process; have a website set up for people to vote online. I think there you could have had a better conversation and really get some better valuable feedback.”
So far, it’s mostly been a disagreement between the mayors and the province, from the date of the referendum, to the type of question, to whether there should even be a referendum at all.
