Yes or no?
With voting set to take place beginning on March 16, the Mayor’s council of metro Vancouver is pushing hard to drum up ‘yes’ votes for the ever-controversial transit referendum. Despite tons of numbers that imply that the mayor’s plan will have numerous positive outcomes for people living in the lower mainland, the emotionally driven ‘no’ side holds the majority in recent polls.
On Monday, the Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce held a ‘get moving’ mixer in Coquitlam, which was an open-information session on details of the mayor’s council plan, should the referendum be passed. Aiming to ‘connect, educate, and advocate’ to vote Yes or No, Coquitlam city Mayor Richard Stewart, Iain Black, the Co-Chair to the Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce along with Michael Hind spoke to the pertinence of winning over Vancouverites.
The $7 billion dollar plan will include an overhaul on the current state of transit in Vancouver. They’re asking for a 0.5% ‘Metro Vancouver Congestion Improvement Tax’ in order to get the plan going, but there has been significant backlash from Vancouver residents.
The ‘yes’ side pledges:
- A Broadway subway
- A light-rail system in Surrey
- Five new B-Line bus routes
- Increased Seabus services
- 220 new skytrain cars
- 80% more NightBus services
- 25% more bus service in general
- Upgrades to major roads
- Reconstruction of the Patullo bridge
This sounds like it could be really great, given that there is a predicted influx of over 1 million people moving into the Tri-Cities area alone over the next 25 years.
The obvious wins in this situation? Well, more skytrains on the tracks and frequency in services means shorter wait times. Additional accessible transit systems make the entire region more accessible, and is meant to encourage more people to use transit instead of driving, which has a two-fold benefit: less car emissions in the environment, and less congested roads for people who continue to drive, to name a few. Don’t forget, the region’s number one source of greenhouse gases are cars and trucks.
Unfortunately, all of the positives of the Mayor’s Council plan have been overshadowed by a lingering distaste within Metro Vancouver toward Translink, and the lack of communication and poor execution within the transit company (remember when they were trying to get the ‘Compass’ going?).
The second widespread concern lies in the uncertainty of ‘where’ exactly these tax dollars are going. Some ‘no’ enthusiasts just all around hate the idea of giving Translink more money, when the company can hardly get the buses and skytrains in service running (and on time).
Moreover, there has been a large disconnect in the onslaught of numbers regarding the plan, and the actual people who will be voting on the referendum. Anyone in the metro Vancouver area can agree that we need more and better transit, but many people fail to understand that this referendum presents an amazing opportunity to do just that.
Perhaps, if the Mayor’s Council had really tapped in to everyday transit riders who have to pack themselves like sardines into overcrowded trains, or the car-commuters who spend a ridiculous amount of time sitting in traffic congestion after a busy day at work, there would have been enthusiasm coming from people who aren’t directly involved in promoting the plan.
As well, the presentation of the argument “take the deal we’re offering or suffer the consequences” approach has got a lot of residents riled up and untrusting, but isn’t there some truth to that? Young people need to think about their votes in particular, as we will be the demographic dealing directly with the onslaught of people moving into this region as we are trying to build our own lives in metro Van.
University students can expect to see people lobbying for or against the Yes or No vote at their schools over the next week, and there will be people at some sky train stations doing the same. Make an informed decision, and maybe give each side an ear before you vote.
This has been a heated debate going back as early as February, and time is running out for both sides to really resonate with the public. Will you be voting? Yes or No?
Written by: Alycia Sundar
