Mayors' Council chair slams feds over lack of transit funding in budget
The chair of the Mayors’ Council on Regional Transportation is criticizing the federal government over the lack of funding for Metro Vancouver transit in this week’s federal budget.
“Just yesterday, the federal government delivered their budget, with no new support for our region’s needs,” Mayors’ Council chair and Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West said during a provincial transit funding announcement on Wednesday. “It is not good enough. A hell of a lot of money leaves the Metro Vancouver region and goes to Ottawa. We need some of that money returned here (to) be reinvested in services for our residents.”
West was speaking at a news conference in which the province revealed $300-million in new funding aimed at increasing bus and SeaBus service in Metro Vancouver.
B.C. Transportation Minister Rob Fleming echoed some of West’s frustration, although he tried to strike a more diplomatic tone.
“I do want to thank the federal government for the times that they were there during the pandemic,” Fleming said Wednesday. “They did advance some money that was very important to TransLink, for sustaining it, to make sure that employees of this company who operate transit, who work hard every day on this magnificent transit system weren’t furloughed, weren’t laid off.
“We didn’t cut routes and services, they were there for that," Fleming added. "The criticism I share with Mayor West is, they need to be there for the recovery too. We expected them to be here on a day like today. We expected the permanent transit fund to be more flexible, and it’s going to be increased, from our perspective, given our investment plans.”
The money will largely go toward 185 new buses, according to TransLink CEO Kevin Quinn. It will also mean buses will come more or extended hours on 60 routes – and more even and late night availability for HandyDART service.
CTV News has requested comment from the federal government on this story.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Statistics Canada says real GDP grew 0.2 per cent in February
Canada's GDP rose 0.2 per cent in February, driven by a rebound in transportation and warehousing, which saw the largest recorded month-to-month rise in over a year at 1.4 per cent.
BREAKING 4 dead, including infant, in wrong-way crash involving police on Ontario's Highway 401
A wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby, Ont. last night has left four people dead, including an infant, Ontario’s police watchdog says.
NEW Is there a cost to convenience? Canada approves new cancer immunotherapy treatment
A new cancer treatment recently approved in Canada promises to cut treatment time down to just minutes, but experts have differing opinions on whether it's what's best for patients.
Air Canada walks back new seat selection policy change after backlash
Air Canada has paused a new seat selection fee for travellers booked on the lowest fares just days after implementing it.
Canada's new dental program offering hope of free care to millions but many dentists aren't signed up
A new Canadian dental care program is offering the hope of free care to millions, but while 1.7 million people have signed up for the plan, only about 5,000 dentists have done the same.
Province boots mayor and council in small northern Ont. town out of office
An ongoing municipal strike, court battles and revolt by half of council has prompted the province to oust the mayor and council in Black River-Matheson.
Winner of US$1.3 billion Powerball jackpot is an immigrant from Laos who has cancer
One of the winners of a historic US$1.3 billion Powerball jackpot last month is an immigrant from Laos who has had cancer for eight years and had his latest chemotherapy treatment last week.
King Charles III returns to public duties with a trip to a cancer charity
King Charles III returned to public duties on Tuesday, visiting a cancer treatment charity and beginning his carefully managed comeback after the monarch's own cancer diagnosis sidelined him for three months.
NDP says Ottawa's new grocery task force isn't living up to government promises
The federal government says the task force it created to monitor and investigate grocery retailers' practices has not conducted any probes and doesn't have a mandate to take enforcement action.