Environmentalist David Suzuki joined more than 300 people from unions, business, health and education circles Thursday in a packed downtown university building to kick off a campaign to urge Metro Vancouverites to vote Yes in the spring plebiscite on transit and transportation.
Suzuki didn’t speak but watched from the front row of a conference room at Simon Fraser University’s Segal Building on Granville Street as the CEO of his foundation, Peter Robinson, and other staff members spoke in favour of a 0.5 per cent tax hike to help pay for a $7.5 billion plan devised by the region’s mayors to cut congestion.
“I can’t remember an instance where such a diverse group from across this region came together for a single issue,” said Robinson, one of four co-chairpersons for the Better Transit and Transportation Coalition, which represents more than 90 organizations.
The David Suzuki Foundation had the biggest voice at the rally, with two of Robinson's staff members addressing the crowd in Chinese, Mandarin and Punjabi while the event was emceed by former COPE executive director Alvin Singh, who now works for the foundation.
Standing on a stage with supporters holding Yes signs, Robinson said the foundation’s research has shown the transportation sector consistently ranks as one of the major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions in Canada.
“We believe that improving transit and transportation is the most effective response we can make to climate change in this region,” he said, noting one million people are expected to put more pressure on the environment as they move into the region over the next 30 years. “One million more residents, in the absence of an effective transit system, is 600,000 more cars. Clearly, doing nothing is not an option.”
Dr. Victoria Lee, the interim chief medical health officer for Fraser Health, stressed the health benefits of getting people out of their cars and predicted a reduction in injuries and deaths related to traffic accidents, if fewer vehicles were on the road. Lee said a recent study conducted by local health authorities showed transit users, cyclists and pedestrians are 36 per cent less likely to be overweight than motorists.
“I encourage everyone to vote Yes for health,” said Lee, noting more transit options, including the mayors’ call for more frequent HandyDart service, will benefit people who require access to health services.
Bahareh Jokar, vice-president of external affairs for Alma Mater Society of UBC, spoke to the crowd on behalf of what she said was more than 135,000 post secondary students in the region who use transit.
Jokar said a Yes vote in the spring plebiscite is important to shaping the future of the region, where transportation choices would be sustainable and meet the demands of population growth.
“With post secondary students, faculty and staff living in every corner of our region, we all benefit from a robust and accessible transit and transportation network,” she said.
In taking questions from reporters about voters’ concerns about TransLink and whether the organization will be trusted to spend the money on the mayors’ plan, Gavin McGarrigle, B.C area director of Unifor, which represents bus drivers, acknowledged the public’s concerns but said the plebiscite is not about how the transit agency is governed; only two mayors sit on the TransLink board, which meets privately.
“Instead of getting distracted by issues that aren’t even on the ballot, we can join together,” said McGarrigle, adding that the mayors’ plan will be audited annually.
Iain Black, CEO of The Vancouver Board of Trade, pointed out it was “rare” to have the majority of mayors agree to a plan and have the provincial government agree to legislated safeguards to ensure the money is directed to the plan. Black is a former provincial Liberal cabinet minister and one of the four co-chairpersons of the transit and transportation coalition.
Black characterized the No campaign — led by the No TransLink Tax group that calls for the plan to be paid from future growth revenue in municipalities instead of a tax hike — as spreading “speculative cynicism.” The No campaign has called TransLink a wasteful organization and pointed to the millions of dollars lost with Compass Card and fare gate systems.
The plan, which hinges on significant contributions from the provincial and federal governments, calls for a subway along Broadway, a light rail transit system in Surrey, a new Pattullo Bridge, an increase in buses, more frequent SeaBus and Handy Dart service and upgrades to road, cycling and pedestrian infrastructure.
Black said he was confident the provincial and federal governments will contribute fully to the plan. But, he said, voters first have to support a Yes vote to show that the region is on board with the plan.
“This is not a new funding formula, this is not a new ratio breakdown, there’s a great deal of precedence and history,” he said of the standard one-third funding from three levels of government. “And that, in my view, makes it reasonable for them to plan on that basis.”
People who turned out to Thursday's event included Jim Iker of the B.C. Teachers' Federation, Irene Lanzinger of the B.C. Federation of Labour and NDP MLAs George Heyman, Jenny Kwan and Spencer Chandra Herbert. Anne McMullin of the Urban Development Institute, SFU chancellor Anne Giardini and Charles Gauthier of the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association were also in the crowd.
Voters can expect to receive ballots in the mail, beginning mid-March.
twitter.com/Howellings
