Translink & 0.5% vote (merged)

Sooo - let me get this straight.

People who are going to vote "No" are doing so because they don't trust Translink to manage the money.

Yet - a yes vote will mandate that Translink completes the projects as decided by the Mayor's council…

So - if you vote No - you are actually letting Translink keep running things the way they want to…and if you vote Yes you are forcing Translink to build some pretty significant, congestion reducing infrastructure.

Am I missing something here?

The Mayors council doesnt get to run the daily operations management of Translink, the appointed board still does that.

"TransLink was governed by the Mayors’ Council until 2008, when then-transportation minister Kevin Falcon changed the governance to an appointed board. The mayors recently regained some measure of control when Todd Stone, currently minister of transportation, gave the Mayors’ Council more control over TransLink, including regional transportation strategies and setting executive pay levels. The appointed board still manages operations"

There is also the issue of the matching funds. If the yes vote gets passed, does the 0.5% tax only get put in place IF the matching funds from the government come through? If not, the 0.5% on its own isnt enough to do the proposed projects, but is a large sum of money for Translink to continue to mismanage.

The Mayors council doesnt get to run the daily operations management of Translink, the appointed board still does that.

"TransLink was governed by the Mayors’ Council until 2008, when then-transportation minister Kevin Falcon changed the governance to an appointed board. The mayors recently regained some measure of control when Todd Stone, currently minister of transportation, gave the Mayors’ Council more control over TransLink, including regional transportation strategies and setting executive pay levels. The appointed board still manages operations"

There is also the issue of the matching funds. If the yes vote gets passed, does the 0.5% tax only get put in place IF the matching funds from the government come through? If not, the 0.5% on its own isnt enough to do the proposed projects, but is a large sum of money for Translink to continue to mismanage.

But again - the tax revenue (if there's a yes vote) has to get spent on the projects as decided by the Mayor's council. That's the deal (regardless of the control that Translink has over the day to day operations - the tax increase won't go to those costs - only to the list of capital projects).

Translink will be a conduit, sure, but they aren't really going to be making many decisions other than "well, what do we do next? Oh right, the mayor's council already decided at the mandate granted by the plebiscite means we have to to project Y now…damn…"

But again - the tax revenue (if there's a yes vote) has to get spent on the projects as decided by the Mayor's council. That's the deal (regardless of the control that Translink has over the day to day operations - the tax increase won't go to those costs - only to the list of capital projects).

Translink will be a conduit, sure, but they aren't really going to be making many decisions other than "well, what do we do next? Oh right, the mayor's council already decided at the mandate granted by the plebiscite means we have to to project Y now…damn…"

The Mayors council is actually only an 'advisory' council. In the end, they dont have the control over how the money is spent, they can only advise how it should be spent. Translink is run by its board of directors and I would assume answers to them?

Translink is run by its board of directors and I would assume answers to them?

I think the board was created to be only answerable to the Province which is why the mayors were pissed when the Liberals yanked the rug out from under them. I could be wrong. Anyone?

What about all the extra gas taxes that we pay in the lower mainland? Isn't that supposed to go to roads, infrastructure and transit? If we were ever given a proper accounting of where our tax money goes (property, income, gas etc) and the expenses spent on our roads, infrastructure projects and transit (as well as the amount lost in running who knows how many boards to make these decisions), perhaps we could get on board with an increase. For now, blindly throwing money away doesn't appeal to me. Basically, show me how well my current tax contributions are being spent and I may be willing to contribute more.

It goes to pay for transit

How much is Broadway subway going to be?

If you go to the website for the municipality you live in, you can probably find a link to the municipal budget, annual report and all council meeting minutes and agendas.

Of course, most people can't be bothered to educate themselves and prefer to complain….

It goes to pay for transit

How much is Broadway subway going to be?

Current cost estimate for the below-ground Broadway line is $3.2 billion. It will likely cost more than that. There is also a $1.2 billion Canada Line Extension project proposal from Commercial/Broadway to Arbutus.Given the option, Surrey LRT would probably be better value, IMO, at $2 billion and benefit more people currently lacking rapid transit access.

Current cost estimate for the below-ground Broadway line is $3.2 billion. It will likely cost more than that. There is also a $1.2 billion Canada Line Extension project proposal from Commercial/Broadway to Arbutus.Given the option, Surrey LRT would probably be better value, IMO, at $2 billion and benefit more people currently lacking transit access.

Watcha' talking about Willis? The Canada line don't go anywhere near Comm/Brdwy or Arbutus.

The proposed Brdwy tunnel will start where the Millennium line ends at VCC Clark, go underground just east of ST. Francis Xavier with the first station at Main, then Cambie, Granville then Arbutus.

Unless they're calling the portion east of Cambie that but why 'cause the lines are crossing each other, not connecting.

If you go to the website for the municipality you live in, you can probably find a link to the municipal budget, annual report and all council meeting minutes and agendas.

Of course, most people can't be bothered to educate themselves and prefer to complain….

I've looked and I haven't found anything. It's hard to find specifics about what will be done and the costs involved.

Current cost estimate for the below-ground Broadway line is $3.2 billion. It will likely cost more than that. There is also a $1.2 billion Canada Line Extension project proposal from Commercial/Broadway to Arbutus.Given the option, Surrey LRT would probably be better value, IMO, at $2 billion and benefit more people currently lacking transit access.

Watcha' talking about Willis? The Canada line don't go anywhere near Comm/Brdwy or Arbutus.

The proposed Brdwy tunnel will start where the Millennium line ends at VCC Clark, go underground just east of ST. Francis Xavier with the first station at Main, then Cambie, Granville then Arbutus.

Unless they're calling the portion east of Cambie that but why 'cause the lines are crossing each other, not connecting.

FWIW I did hear some rumblings about what Duncan posted at work the other day.

Watcha' talking about Willis? The Canada line don't go anywhere near Comm/Brdwy or Arbutus.

The proposed Brdwy tunnel will start where the Millennium line ends at VCC Clark, go underground just east of ST. Francis Xavier with the first station at Main, then Cambie, Granville then Arbutus.

Unless they're calling the portion east of Cambie that but why 'cause the lines are crossing each other, not connecting.

Just quoting this which says

"The Mayors' Council Vision calls for rapid transit between Commercial Drive and the University of British Columbia, starting with a tunnelled extension of the Millennium Line west from VCC–Clark to Arbutus St., to provide a connection with the Canada Line at Broadway–City Hall Station. The timeline outlined in the Mayors' Vision will proceed if there is a positive outcome to the referendum, expected to take place this spring."

The mayor's council website states:

Details of the Metro Vancouver Congestion Improvement Tax are still being considered. This page will be updated as more information is made available.

Not good to be so vague. I bought this was just an increase in PST and the provincial government would then give the transit people their piece at the end of the year. If it's a new tax, that just adds complexity and businesses won't like that.

The other thing not being addresses is road infrastructure. They have a video that says roads will be less congested because there will be fewer cars on the road, but then states that in the future there will be more people and more cars. There will also be more big buses on the road.

What about all the extra gas taxes that we pay in the lower mainland? Isn't that supposed to go to roads, infrastructure and transit? If we were ever given a proper accounting of where our tax money goes (property, income, gas etc) and the expenses spent on our roads, infrastructure projects and transit (as well as the amount lost in running who knows how many boards to make these decisions), perhaps we could get on board with an increase. For now, blindly throwing money away doesn't appeal to me. Basically, show me how well my current tax contributions are being spent and I may be willing to contribute more.

Yes, it is, and yes, it does.

If you don't believe me, look it up.

http://www.translink.ca/-/media/Documents/about_translink/governance_and_board/board_minutes_and_reports/2014/january/2014%20Business%20Plan%20Operating%20and%20Capital%20Budget%20Summary.pdf