'Sparkle ponies and pixie dust'? Kennedy Stewart's Vancouver Loop promise critiqued by opponents
Kennedy Stewart says if re-elected as mayor, he would accelerate plans for the "Vancouver Loop" – a new SkyTrain line that would connect Metrotown to UBC.
Stewart and his team announced he would make the business case for the project and ask that the line be prioritized. It's already part of TransLink's 2050 vision.
"With having 44,000 people a day moving along this corridor, it is really, really busy," Stewart told reporters.
He added that with densification and population growth, the region will only get busier. The project is part of his Forward Together party's attempt to alleviate pressure on busy transit corridors and address climate change.
The proposed Vancouver Loop would connect with the Broadway SkyTrain extension and link UBC to Metrotown along 41st and 49th Avenues.
Werner Antweiler, a professor of Economics in UBC's Sauder School of Business, said the project is something that would be needed in the long-term.
"There is, of course, a significant demand from UBC students," he explained in an interview with CTV News. "But there's also going to be more development all along that line, especially in the Jericho Lands that will be developed by a group of Indigenous communities in in Vancouver – so we need to look at the future."
Vancouver can't go it alone. Although there's no pricetag and no timeline, what we do know is the multi-billion dollar project will need help from the province and the federal government to be completed.
Stewart acknowledged that challenge.
"What I have to do, what I've done before is to go off and get funding and continuing to convince folks this is a worthwhile investment," Stewart added.
Lisa Dominato, who is running for re-election as a city councillor with the ABC Party, said part of the issue is there's currently no funding for a line to UBC. She told CTV News Stewart just re-announced priorities already set.
"Perhaps the mayor is trying to deflect from the fact that he's supported roe pricing and transport pricing in the city," Dominato said. "Perhaps that's a deflection on his part."
ABC and Forward Together have exchanged harsh words around the issue of road pricing with Stewart accusing his opponents of misrepresenting his views.
Opposition parties say the biggest concern they hear is affordability. Colleen Hardwick, a city councillor who is now running for mayor with the TEAM slate, said she didn't think the project was needed now, and maybe not even in the future.
"I think that we can achieve much more in terms of distributed surface rail than spending all of this money on SkyTrain, but I just don't think it's in the cards … as we are staring down a potential recession," she told CTV News.
One challenge for Stewart is that other mayors have also made promises to deliver on projects from TransLink's long-term plan.
"I wish the mayor luck in getting this project prioritized," said Antweiler. "But the overall the TransLink plan actually is very sensible, because it also looks at rapid bus transit in many places where we wouldn't be looking at a subway system."
In 2018, Surrey's Doug McCallum won the hotly contested mayoral race after promising to scrap light rail and instead replace it with SkyTrain.
"It’s silly season, isn't it? And this is the kind of big announcement that's quite common when you get into election season. But to me, it's sparkle ponies and pixie dust," said Hardwick.
Municipal elections take place across the province Oct. 15.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Federal government grants B.C.'s request to recriminalize hard drugs in public spaces
The federal government is granting British Columbia's request to recriminalize hard drugs in public spaces, nearly two weeks after the province asked to end its pilot project early over concerns of public drug use.
Testifying in hush money trial, adult film actor Stormy Daniels describes first meeting Trump
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential election 10 years later.
MPs agree Canadian gov't should improve new disability benefit
The federal government needs to safeguard the incoming Canada Disability Benefit from clawbacks and do more to ensure it actually meets the stated aim of lifting people living with disabilities out of poverty, MPs from all parties agree.
King Charles too busy to see son Prince Harry during U.K. trip
Prince Harry will not be seeing his father King Charles during his current visit to Britain as the monarch will be too busy, Harry's spokesperson said on Tuesday.
Boy Scouts of America changing name for first time in 114 years, aiming for inclusivity
The Boy Scouts of America is changing its name for the first time in its 114-year history and will become Scouting America. It's a significant shift as the organization emerges from bankruptcy following a flood of sexual abuse claims and seeks to focus on inclusion.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Trudeau's handling of Poilievre's 'wacko' House turfing a clear sign of Liberal desperation
When Speaker Greg Fergus tossed out Pierre Poilievre from the House last week, "those of us who have experience as parliamentarians simply couldn't believe our eyes," writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in his column for CTVNews.ca
Security guard shot, seriously injured outside of Drake's Toronto mansion
A security guard working at Drake’s Bridle Path mansion in Toronto was seriously injured in a shooting outside the residence early Tuesday morning, police said.
Katy Perry's mom was fooled by AI images of the singer at the Met Gala
Katy Perry did not attend the Met Gala on Monday, but some of the singer’s fans – and even her mom – thought she did.