Is it now or never to build the Evergreen Line?
That's the $1.4-billion question TransLink's Council of Mayors must somehow answer in considering a federal funding commitment and matching provincial dollars for the rapid transit line, connecting Burnaby to Coquitlam. In addition, the offer would likely be pulled if TransLink can't come up with it's $400 million share?
“We would probably be ill advised to say, yes we'll let that money go, because we may not get it back,” said Mayors' council chairperson Peter Fassbender. “Then we've got a bigger problem.”
Fassbender has been vocal in calling for talks between Metro Vancouver mayors and the province to determine a sustainable funding model for TransLink that doesn't compromise existing services.
But pleas from the Langley mayor and his cohorts for consultation have gone unheard as the province continues to announce and re-announce progress on developing the 11-kilometre stretch without providing financial details.
All that's known is the money will be raised, perhaps through unilateral legislation sent down from the province, which could raise property tax rates, installation of road tolls or other carbon-pricing measures.
“At the end of the day, it doesn't matter which pot it comes out of. The pot is filled by the taxpayer whether it's federally, provincially or municipally,” Fassbender said. “How that taxing authority is done and the reallocation of some funds that are already collected may be an issue that we need to look at.”
Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan has examined expanding rapid transit in the region's northeast sector from a number of angles and willingly concedes now is not the time to break ground on another mega-infrastructure project.
“That may be the most sensible way to deal with the problem,” he explained. “Since the province cannot come up with enough money to be able to make this project work and TransLink is not in a position to make this project work.
“If you do go ahead regardless, we know, the bus system will be affected because the bus system always gets punished and the bus system carries 80 per cent of our riders.”
Corrigan contends the province is dancing to the beat of a federal agenda by scrapping original plans for light rail for SkyTrain technology.
“They've eliminated any potential competitors, so it will surely go back east,” he said. “The federal government would only put in money that this would go back east.”
Transportation Minister Shirley Bond did not return 24 hours' calls for comment.
An announcement on Evergreen Line financing is expected sometime this spring.
