'We've done our job': Metro Vancouver mayors look to Ottawa for transit funding

Metro Vancouver mayors are calling on Ottawa for financial help as the region looks to expand its transit system.

The Mayors' Council on Regional Transportation is issuing a funding submission to the federal minister of finance to develop a new model for TransLink as the region rapidly expands and transit infrastructure needs to keep pace.

The council says the projects needed to be built come with a price tag of $2.8 billion.

"We've done our job. The ball is firmly in the provincial and federal government," said Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West.

West told CTV News that they are requesting the federal government cover 40 per cent of the costs, along with 40 per cent from the province and 20 per cent from communities in the region.

The first project listed on the expenses is the three new bus rapid transit routes, costing upwards of $900 million, according to the mayors' council.

Here's where they will be located:

• Park Royal (North Shore) to Metrotown (Burnaby) via Phibbs Exchange and Willingdon Avenue

• Langley to Maple Ridge along 200th Ave, the Golden Ears Bridge and Lougheed Highway

• Surrey to White Rock along King George Boulevard

The submission also seeks support for the $375 million expansion of TransLink's bus fleet, $1.4 billion for additional bus depot capacity, $70 million for active transportation and road safety projects, and $120 million for initiating the Golden Ears Way BRT-readiness and goods-movement project.

"If this region is forced to wait two years for people to get their ducks in a row in Ottawa—it will confirm everyone's worst feelings about government’s inability to get things done. We should not have to wait," said West, who also serves as the chair of the mayors’ council.

The request comes a month after a report found that TransLink was facing severe inflationary impacts that increased the cost of labour and construction, which ultimately raised operating expenses.

The report said that if additional revenue was not found, there would be a funding gap of $4.7 billion between 2026 and 2033.

TransLink is required by law to have its revenue fully cover expenditures over 10 years, but according to the transit operator, it would need approximately $600 million per year in new revenues starting in 2026 to make that a possibility.

If this additional funding can't be found, the report read that 60 per cent of services could be cut to balance the budget, during a time they say ridership is at pre-pandemic levels.

In the spring, the report says the province committed an additional $478.9 million in stop-gap funding until 2025 to avoid service reductions and fare increases above 2.3 per cent.

The group is planning to travel to Ottawa in the coming weeks to present their plan.