Ottawa, Victoria make multi-million dollar transit announcement

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BURNABY (NEWS 1130) – Following a private 45-minute meeting, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier Christy Clark emerged announcing the two levels of government are committing $616 million to the Mayors’ Council 10-year transit plan.

There are 14 capital projects involved. Funding includes design and pre-construction work on the Broadway Subway in Vancouver and light rail in Surrey. “With the provinces and municipalities contributions it will be a total of $934 million to be invested in public transit across the province,” says Trudeau.

The funding will go towards buying new rail cars for the Expo, Millennium and Canada Lines. The money will also go towards a new SeaBus.

LISTEN: Reporter Martin MacMahon talks to anchors Amanda Wawryk and Tim James about announcement

 

“It means communities all across British Columbia will benefit from system upgrades, whether it’s building new bus lanes or completing much needed repairs to existing facilities,” adds Trudeau.

The plans outlined by the prime minister are part of what he calls Phase 1, stressing the federal government is now meeting with the Mayors’ Council to develop Phase 2 of transit investments.

Trudeau says he’ll be involved in a round-table chat on rising housing prices to discuss further solutions to the transit improvements.

Where is the money coming from?

Co-chair of the Mayor’s Council Gregor Robertson says it’s a relief to get the money but he says there is still a lot to talk about with his community counterparts.

But, the mayors and the provincial government have not agreed on how TransLink will meet its part of the contribution. Their statement says the Mayors’ Council and the province are still working to finalize an agreement.

“Of course, we’re proud to be the first region in Canada to land that investment from the Federal and Provincial combination. The Phase 1 agreement is really essential for us.”

Robertson says to find the funding, the Mayors’ Council was able to find some projects in the first two to three years of its 10-year plan. “Projects like the Broadway subway and Mayor’s [Linda] Hepner’s projects south of the Fraser, about $157 million dedicated to get those projects on track to be fully funded and breaking ground within 18 months, which would be fantastic,” adds Robertson.

There will also be $345 million to modernize and expand transit lines which will include 28 SkyTrain cars, 22 Canada Line cars and five West Coast Express cars. Some SkyTrain stations will also be renovated and bike parkades are being added to the Evergreen Line.

The Mayors’ Council has proposed a $3 per year property tax increase, a one-time transit fare increase and a commitment to regional tolling, but the Minister for TransLink has not agreed to support it.

Metro Vancouver has a long wish list of transit projects, but during last year’s plebiscite people voted down a proposed sales tax last year to pay for a 10-year, $7.5 billion transit plan.  

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