The photo op a few days ago of Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson standing beside University of B.C. president Stephen Toope in support of a $2.8 billion (and climbing) subway down the Broadway corridor, literally shrieks out one demand: "Show me the money!"
Neither fine fellow in the photo, it seems, was willing to come up with so much as a nickel for the project. That, even though the city and UBC will benefit mightily from a line designed to run from Commercial Drive out to the West Point Grey campus. And that's just because of the increase in property values and the attendant taxes that will be collected once the line is built, to say nothing of the construction that will result from the densification around each subway stop.
Toope can plead that his is a public institution that should be excused from contributing to a project that will add to UBC's wealth. But recall when the Canada Line was created with a spur out to Sea Island, the publicly owned Vancouver International Airport Authority was more than willing to pony up its share that recognized the economic benefit it would receive.
Robertson could argue that funding transit infrastructure falls to more senior levels of government. But that has only led to another dead end given the content of a February 28 letter that made its way into the blogosphere. It's from North Vancouver District Mayor Richard Walton, the chair of the TransLink Mayor's Council, to the current B.C. Liberal minister of transportation Mary Polak.
If you want any evidence that a) the provincial Liberals are in a paralytic state on the issue of TransLink funding in the run-up to the election and b) there is, to quote the above referenced missive, "an extremely high level of frustration" among local politicians, this is it.
I guess you could say the mayor's council was nave in demanding the province come up with more revenue sources by the end of February to help out TransLink - which is to say, some kind of new tax increase - on the eve of us all heading to the polls.
Not only was Victoria intent on producing a "balanced" budget of its own to help sway voters but, as it turns out, they have more than enough to deal with as (reaching for an appropriate transit related clich) the wheels come off their bus.
But let's assume the photo op and the scolding letter are not nave acts. What, then, is going on?
TransLink and the province have conducted a number of studies regarding the Broadway corridor. The most recent, which was released Thursday, support the idea of a subway to UBC.
But Robertson and Toope are in stiff competition for transit infrastructure dough with Surrey mayor Diane Watts, who is seeking a much more economical light rail system. Vancouver and UBC just want to make sure - although they deny this - that they maintain their place in line ahead of a city that is making a compelling argument for transit that will allow it to continue developing in a more environmentally sustainable fashion.
That said, you have to assume the real audience for all this is not the provincial Liberals at all. It is Adrian Dix and the NDP, which is barely able to contain its glee at this point given the persistent spread in the polls and the possibility they are about to take power.
Yet while the Liberals remain chronically mute on the subject of TransLink funding, the New Democrats aren't exactly reaching for their wallets. All we have heard from Dix as he faces a fairly bare cupboard in the provincial treasury is that he "may" shovel a bit of money from the Carbon Tax over to TransLink.
But before he even gets there, he will be asked to deal with another matter: the longstanding kvetch coming most noticeably from the NDP Mayor of Burnaby Derek Corrigan. He wants the whole TransLink governance structure created by the Liberals five years ago tossed out. Get rid of the appointed board and put the region's mayors back in control so they can take responsibility for developing the vision, engaging the public and develop future funding sources.
