Transportation Minister Todd Stone has given the yes side a boost in the upcoming transportation plebiscite by announcing that the provincial government supports a 0.5 per cent hike to the provincial sales tax to help pay for a $7.5-billion plan that includes a subway along the Broadway corridor.
In a written statement provided Tuesday to the Courier, Stone said “We support a yes vote in the spring 2015 plebiscite but the voters of Metro Vancouver will have the final say — this is the commitment we made to them in the last provincial election campaign.”
Stone earlier stated the government would remain neutral and not take sides in the emerging debate about asking Metro Vancouver residents to support a tax hike to help pay for a 10-year transit plan devised by the region’s mayors.
“The provincial government believes the mayors’ council has put forward a vision for expanded regional transportation that people can get behind,” he said in his statement. “We agree that a sales-based tax, dedicated to vital congestion improvement projects, is the most equitable funding option available.”
The province will pay for the cost of the plebiscite, estimated to be $5 million, but Stone said mayors and various organizations mobilizing on either side will be responsible for funding their individual campaigns.
Stone’s support for the yes lobby comes as NPA Coun. George Affleck will ask fellow councillors at a Jan. 20 council meeting to promote a positive vote in the plebiscite, which begins March 16 via a mail-in ballot.
Affleck’s motion asks city staff to suggest initiatives the city could undertake to ensure the success of the plebiscite. Affleck wouldn’t speculate on costs related to such a campaign, saying that will be part of staff’s report back to council.
Affleck’s motion is expected to get the support of Mayor Gregor Robertson and his ruling Vision Vancouver council, who are on record in supporting a yes vote. Green Party Coun. Adriane Carr was not available for comment this week.
“We need to fight for what we think is right for the region,” Affleck said. “It’s going to be a tough battle and I think it’s important that Vancouver take a leadership role on this for the yes side. It’s important for the long term prosperity of the city.”
Jordan Bateman, spokesman for the No TransLink Tax group that is battling the yes side, said he wished Stone would have stayed neutral in the plebiscite debate. But, Bateman said, he didn’t think Stone’s position would sway undecided voters.
“I’m not sure there were many people in the Lower Mainland waiting with baited breath to see which side the transportation minister landed on,” said Bateman, adding that he wouldn’t be surprised if Vancouver council unanimously supports Affleck’s motion.
“They have one of the most expensive big ticket items in [the plan.]”
Bateman, a member of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, was referring to the estimated $1.9 billion cost to build a 5.1-kilometre subway line from the Vancouver Community College-Clark SkyTrain station to Arbutus Street.
The plan also calls for more B-line buses, more frequent bus, SeaBus and HandyDart service and investments in cycling and pedestrian infrastructure and road maintenance. Surrey is on track for a $2.1 billion light-rail transit project and a new-four lane Pattullo Bridge at $980 million is another big expense outlined in the plan.
Bateman and the No coalition are expected to release next week an alternative plan to alleviate congestion that doesn’t rely on a tax increase. Former Conservative party insider Hamish Marshall, who has ties to controversial blog EthicalOil.org, will play a key role with the no lobby, according to an article in Business in Vancouver. (See Courier columnist Allen Garr’s column on page 10 for more insight).
Iain Black, CEO of the Vancouver Board of Trade, has been campaigning for a yes vote as a spokesperson for the Better Transit and Transportation Coalition, which includes business, labour, environmental and community groups.
Black, a former Liberal cabinet minister, welcomed Stone’s support and said it builds on the momentum of the coalition, which is expected to formally launch its campaign at the end of the month.
“This validates that this is not a partisan left versus right issue,” he said of the coalition. “It is not a political hot potato. It’s something that is just the right thing to do.”
Added Black: “This is a unique opportunity to actually make sure that your tax dollars are going to something that you believe in as voiced through a yes vote.”
twitter.com/Howellings
