If the BC Business Council and the BC Chamber of Commerce is so keen a supporter as they want to reduce the so called $1 billion/year congestion costs to move goods and workers around ---then why don't they persuade their friend Christy Clark to increase corporate taxes and increase taxes on the super wealthy in BC- like our TransLink executives! In 2001 BC Corporate tax rate was 16.5% then cut back to 10% -until raised to 11% following Premier Clark's election. The Province has lost in excess of $13 billion in tax revenue which could have been spent on public infrastructure due to this tax give-away. In Canada, due to corporate tax breaks corporations are sitting on over $600 billion of money. There are many examples of complete fiscal incompetence by both the Province and Translink...and working people including the working poor, seniors, those of fixed incomes should not trust at all Tran$tink with any more money. It is a way to pricey a system with high capital costs to build and high operational costs
Pete - 9 years ago
The province is responsible for bridges...such as the Patullo Bridge ...we already paid taxes for that..now they want to shift that cost over to Metro residents...no way. The Broadway extension to Arbutus is anticipated to cost $1.9 billion---then there will be cost over-runs and delay costs...so expect another $billion or so there in added costs...just like the Cambie Line out to the Airport was more than a $billion over budget. The Yes side wants to take $2.5 billion out of your pockets over the next ten years....plus Translink gets to raise Property taxes without needing Mayor's approval at a rate of 3% per year...what the fluck...and none of the $2.5 billion is tied to any specific project. Furthermore news reports have suggested Tran$Link will spend about $4 million on the Yes Campaign ..while also having two $35,000/month CEO's on pay. There are over 400 executives earning over $100,000/year at Translink. Ultimately if $1.9 billion+ out of $2.5 billion will be spent on the Broadway extension...why would anyone living in non vancouver cities pay tax to receive only $600 million of the leftover. Finally, lets ask the question -when the dream is built which taxes will be needed to support its operation, how much will be the translink fare increases....can this region afford it, who amongst the region's resident's can least afford it??? Vote NO and tell others to Vote NO
robert oligard - 9 years ago
No increased taxes. We have managed to build infrastructure and make bus improvements from existing taxes and tolls up to now. If no money then the mega projects will just have to wait.
If it costs folks too much time or money to commute to work, then businesses need to figure out how to bring the work to where the people live or figure out how to get the people to their worksites. People should be able to afford to live closer to where they work. An hour on transit or an hour driving may still be two hours a day unlived for most people.
Translink could do the following now at little cost:
Toll the Pattullo bridge now to to stop the diversion of traffic from Port Mann through New Wesminster.
Give buses the ability to keep lights green when they are approaching intersections.
Make some of Bline and VCC express buses from commercial and VCC express to UBC with fewer stops.
Identify and implement other options for speeding up buses along Broadway and 4th ave and along King George Highway.
Make Translink planning and research transparent with much more community and business consultation.
Really, rapid transit megaproject to arbutus street...??...get real...just improve the buses and force the vehicles to wait.
R - 9 years ago
Vote No guys, this is just beyond ridiculous. I havent heard of a single city adding an additional tax to suppor their bus/train systems, its bullshit to do this. The translink CEO gets paid over 400k and translink cops (who like to pretend the are real cops but actually have legal authority) get paid upwards of 90k ti write you up a 200 ticket. If translink slashed salaries and so did fucking mayor greg robertson, then we would have WELL enough revenue to support all of this. Translink fares are already expensive enough, with them hiking up prices twice within a 2 year period.
Megan - 9 years ago
Fix the skytrain "electrical problems" and the Compass Card first AND THEN we'll talk..
Translink needs to put the billions they are already getting from gas tax, property tax, fare increases, etc to better use!
VOTING NO
VancouverDoug - 9 years ago
Alison D - If you think $0.37 per day of extra sales tax is a massive amount and that you're in a 60% tax bracket I'd highly recommend you see an accountant or, at the very least, go to HR Block to do you personal taxes.
Alison D - 9 years ago
This is ridiculous!
We already give up over 60 percent of our incomes to tax, double dipping and downright thievery by the govt.
.5 percent!?!?! That's a MASSIVE amount of money! Are they coming to our homes in private cars to pick us up each day?
Our govt are a bunch of thieving bastards and I vote NO!!!!
Devante - 9 years ago
If they managed their money better and instead of spending it on their ridiculous salary wages, I would vote yes. But since the BC government are idiots who can't budget for jack, I wouldn't want to give more money to them unless they come up with a better solution and SOLID plan that will benefit all classes. Wasting more of tax payer's money... Where is compass btw? Like how hard is it to implement something so easy? It might not even be implemented so that's... hmm.. $200 Million of tax payer's money gone down to drain/translink salaries? Corrupted Mofos.
First of all, translink has already wasted all of their money on the compass card, and as well it hasn't worked.
Fares are already expensive as it is, It is hard enough for all of those who does not work or can't find a job that's accepting.
Translink has already made so many mistakes, they don't even use their money wisely.
Yet, they did the compass project, and now look at where its at. It's completely useless.
wally - 9 years ago
They just increase the transit fare , although it was already expensive . So I think translink it's enough to be so greedy. I vote no
Driver - 9 years ago
While I agree that Translink has mismanaged money and so forth, we have to do SOMETHING for the Broadway corridor at least. What else are you going to do, wait until Translink gets shaken up? I think that will be quite some time. In the meantime, we'll continue to have traffic issues. I'm voting YES.
Reason - 9 years ago
Voting no will just cause you headaches as motorists. Voting yes will relieve lots of the congestion. Oh, but go ahead and vote no.... you'll just go ahead and shop in the states with your car anyway, won't you? Even if it takes 4 hours in the border lineup for a few litres of gas and some cheese.
mel - 9 years ago
how is the compass pass coming along? lets see how many times in 2 months did the sky train break down?
i don't think the extra increase will be going any where useful just taking out money. lets see how much do the CEO's get paid annually? take the funding out of their pocket
John - 9 years ago
1 - Lets see the old streetcars were done away with because any accident meant all the streetcars just piled up behind the accident site with no easy way around unlike buses that can just be re-routed heaven to bettsie anyone dies that would close down the whole system for a day ohhh and yes streetcars get into accidents all the time just check youtube.
2 - The Pattullo lets see we got 4 lanes and we'll get 4 lanes (probably with a toll have to read the fine print with the politicos even if it is not there now when the time comes watch out....) A far better and significantly cheaper solution is to knock down the approach ramps that are mostly built over land widen these ramps and make them safer then 150 to 200 feet from the actual bridge narrow the lanes to suit the bridge lane widths (this section would be straight as it is today) and since the trucks for the most part struggle in the turns on the straight they can easily stay in there own lane. I believe it is also true to say all the deaths on the Big P. happen in the approach ramp turns not the bridge deck. Okay so your afraid of an earthquake possible a 1000 year event even the new Port Mann will fall over if the fissure happens right under the column. Me I'd be much more worried about WW3 and the missiles flying over head much more likely. P.S. would not think this way if I lived in Japan or Iran or China but I don't and until real and significant evidence shows itself like a major quake off of Vancouver Island forget about it. I also live in Surrey so completely removing the bridge out of service for a year and a half to bring down the approaches and rebuild would still be okay with no tolls or tax increases.
3 - Why oh why does Vancouver get underground all skytrain should be priced above ground then if a community wants it underground that municipality should bear that additional cost so if an above ground projected cost is $1 billion and going below ground is $2 billion then the additional $1 billion should be paid exclusively by Vancouver residents in there property tax.
R - 9 years ago
The proposal is for an increase of 0.5%, not an increase ranging from 0.5% to 7.5%. Your question is misleading and incorrect.
Dale - 9 years ago
TransLink is a lot more than just transit. Without proper funding, our roads and bridges will deteriorate and new ones won't get built. Good luck to anti-social motorists stuck in traffic.
Nick - 9 years ago
Maybe translink should stop wasting the crap load of money they are already sucking out of people's pockets and use it properly.
How's the compass pass coming along?? Translink is such a joke and a waste of tax payers money.
If the BC Business Council and the BC Chamber of Commerce is so keen a supporter as they want to reduce the so called $1 billion/year congestion costs to move goods and workers around ---then why don't they persuade their friend Christy Clark to increase corporate taxes and increase taxes on the super wealthy in BC- like our TransLink executives! In 2001 BC Corporate tax rate was 16.5% then cut back to 10% -until raised to 11% following Premier Clark's election. The Province has lost in excess of $13 billion in tax revenue which could have been spent on public infrastructure due to this tax give-away. In Canada, due to corporate tax breaks corporations are sitting on over $600 billion of money. There are many examples of complete fiscal incompetence by both the Province and Translink...and working people including the working poor, seniors, those of fixed incomes should not trust at all Tran$tink with any more money. It is a way to pricey a system with high capital costs to build and high operational costs
The province is responsible for bridges...such as the Patullo Bridge ...we already paid taxes for that..now they want to shift that cost over to Metro residents...no way. The Broadway extension to Arbutus is anticipated to cost $1.9 billion---then there will be cost over-runs and delay costs...so expect another $billion or so there in added costs...just like the Cambie Line out to the Airport was more than a $billion over budget. The Yes side wants to take $2.5 billion out of your pockets over the next ten years....plus Translink gets to raise Property taxes without needing Mayor's approval at a rate of 3% per year...what the fluck...and none of the $2.5 billion is tied to any specific project. Furthermore news reports have suggested Tran$Link will spend about $4 million on the Yes Campaign ..while also having two $35,000/month CEO's on pay. There are over 400 executives earning over $100,000/year at Translink. Ultimately if $1.9 billion+ out of $2.5 billion will be spent on the Broadway extension...why would anyone living in non vancouver cities pay tax to receive only $600 million of the leftover. Finally, lets ask the question -when the dream is built which taxes will be needed to support its operation, how much will be the translink fare increases....can this region afford it, who amongst the region's resident's can least afford it??? Vote NO and tell others to Vote NO
No increased taxes. We have managed to build infrastructure and make bus improvements from existing taxes and tolls up to now. If no money then the mega projects will just have to wait.
If it costs folks too much time or money to commute to work, then businesses need to figure out how to bring the work to where the people live or figure out how to get the people to their worksites. People should be able to afford to live closer to where they work. An hour on transit or an hour driving may still be two hours a day unlived for most people.
Translink could do the following now at little cost:
Toll the Pattullo bridge now to to stop the diversion of traffic from Port Mann through New Wesminster.
Give buses the ability to keep lights green when they are approaching intersections.
Make some of Bline and VCC express buses from commercial and VCC express to UBC with fewer stops.
Identify and implement other options for speeding up buses along Broadway and 4th ave and along King George Highway.
Make Translink planning and research transparent with much more community and business consultation.
Really, rapid transit megaproject to arbutus street...??...get real...just improve the buses and force the vehicles to wait.
Vote No guys, this is just beyond ridiculous. I havent heard of a single city adding an additional tax to suppor their bus/train systems, its bullshit to do this. The translink CEO gets paid over 400k and translink cops (who like to pretend the are real cops but actually have legal authority) get paid upwards of 90k ti write you up a 200 ticket. If translink slashed salaries and so did fucking mayor greg robertson, then we would have WELL enough revenue to support all of this. Translink fares are already expensive enough, with them hiking up prices twice within a 2 year period.
Fix the skytrain "electrical problems" and the Compass Card first AND THEN we'll talk..
Translink needs to put the billions they are already getting from gas tax, property tax, fare increases, etc to better use!
VOTING NO
Alison D - If you think $0.37 per day of extra sales tax is a massive amount and that you're in a 60% tax bracket I'd highly recommend you see an accountant or, at the very least, go to HR Block to do you personal taxes.
This is ridiculous!
We already give up over 60 percent of our incomes to tax, double dipping and downright thievery by the govt.
.5 percent!?!?! That's a MASSIVE amount of money! Are they coming to our homes in private cars to pick us up each day?
Our govt are a bunch of thieving bastards and I vote NO!!!!
If they managed their money better and instead of spending it on their ridiculous salary wages, I would vote yes. But since the BC government are idiots who can't budget for jack, I wouldn't want to give more money to them unless they come up with a better solution and SOLID plan that will benefit all classes. Wasting more of tax payer's money... Where is compass btw? Like how hard is it to implement something so easy? It might not even be implemented so that's... hmm.. $200 Million of tax payer's money gone down to drain/translink salaries? Corrupted Mofos.
I vote no.
First of all, translink has already wasted all of their money on the compass card, and as well it hasn't worked.
Fares are already expensive as it is, It is hard enough for all of those who does not work or can't find a job that's accepting.
Translink has already made so many mistakes, they don't even use their money wisely.
Yet, they did the compass project, and now look at where its at. It's completely useless.
They just increase the transit fare , although it was already expensive . So I think translink it's enough to be so greedy. I vote no
While I agree that Translink has mismanaged money and so forth, we have to do SOMETHING for the Broadway corridor at least. What else are you going to do, wait until Translink gets shaken up? I think that will be quite some time. In the meantime, we'll continue to have traffic issues. I'm voting YES.
Voting no will just cause you headaches as motorists. Voting yes will relieve lots of the congestion. Oh, but go ahead and vote no.... you'll just go ahead and shop in the states with your car anyway, won't you? Even if it takes 4 hours in the border lineup for a few litres of gas and some cheese.
how is the compass pass coming along? lets see how many times in 2 months did the sky train break down?
i don't think the extra increase will be going any where useful just taking out money. lets see how much do the CEO's get paid annually? take the funding out of their pocket
1 - Lets see the old streetcars were done away with because any accident meant all the streetcars just piled up behind the accident site with no easy way around unlike buses that can just be re-routed heaven to bettsie anyone dies that would close down the whole system for a day ohhh and yes streetcars get into accidents all the time just check youtube.
2 - The Pattullo lets see we got 4 lanes and we'll get 4 lanes (probably with a toll have to read the fine print with the politicos even if it is not there now when the time comes watch out....) A far better and significantly cheaper solution is to knock down the approach ramps that are mostly built over land widen these ramps and make them safer then 150 to 200 feet from the actual bridge narrow the lanes to suit the bridge lane widths (this section would be straight as it is today) and since the trucks for the most part struggle in the turns on the straight they can easily stay in there own lane. I believe it is also true to say all the deaths on the Big P. happen in the approach ramp turns not the bridge deck. Okay so your afraid of an earthquake possible a 1000 year event even the new Port Mann will fall over if the fissure happens right under the column. Me I'd be much more worried about WW3 and the missiles flying over head much more likely. P.S. would not think this way if I lived in Japan or Iran or China but I don't and until real and significant evidence shows itself like a major quake off of Vancouver Island forget about it. I also live in Surrey so completely removing the bridge out of service for a year and a half to bring down the approaches and rebuild would still be okay with no tolls or tax increases.
3 - Why oh why does Vancouver get underground all skytrain should be priced above ground then if a community wants it underground that municipality should bear that additional cost so if an above ground projected cost is $1 billion and going below ground is $2 billion then the additional $1 billion should be paid exclusively by Vancouver residents in there property tax.
The proposal is for an increase of 0.5%, not an increase ranging from 0.5% to 7.5%. Your question is misleading and incorrect.
TransLink is a lot more than just transit. Without proper funding, our roads and bridges will deteriorate and new ones won't get built. Good luck to anti-social motorists stuck in traffic.
Maybe translink should stop wasting the crap load of money they are already sucking out of people's pockets and use it properly.
How's the compass pass coming along?? Translink is such a joke and a waste of tax payers money.