Politicians throughout British Columbia ought to take a tough have a look at the outcomes from Vancouver’s municipal election earlier than pushing their unaffordable pet tasks on tapped-out taxpayers.
Politicians throughout British Columbia ought to take a tough have a look at the outcomes from Vancouver’s municipal election earlier than pushing their unaffordable pet tasks on tapped-out taxpayers.
Vancouver’s vote was a referendum on the large spending and tax hikes that residents have endured for a number of years. Voters stood as much as a giant and bossy authorities and stated “no.”
A key problem of this election was the so-called transport pricing plan, which was bureaucratic code for an costly new toll wall. The deliberate toll wall was going to stretch from Clark Drive west to Burrard and from West sixteenth Avenue north to the shoreline. Vancouver Common hospital, St. Paul’s hospital, Vancouver Metropolis Corridor, Science World, the Artwork Gallery and the principle department of the Vancouver Public Library all would have been within the pay zone.
Bureaucrats wouldn’t admit how a lot the toll wall would price drivers, however a earlier research of the same scheme by Metro Vancouver would have charged drivers as much as $8.27 one technique to drive over bridges within the Decrease Mainland.
Vancouver is already one of many least reasonably priced locations to reside in Canada.
The proposed toll wall was all pocketbook ache, with none achieve for Vancouver.
Mayor-elect Ken Sim made his opposition to the toll wall a key pillar of his election marketing campaign, which helped him sweep to victory. Operating on a platform opposing tax hikes, Sim’s celebration, A Higher Metropolis, ABC, elected all of the candidates they ran.
Outgoing Mayor Kennedy Stewart claimed he was not in favour of the toll wall, however there’s loads of proof on the contrary.
In 2020, when households had been struggling to remain afloat throughout the peak of the pandemic, Stewart voted in favour of finding out the toll wall. In complete, Stewart burned by way of greater than $3.5 million to research the toll wall.
The toll wall would have been the affordability breaking level for lots of households and companies. A household from Kitsilano taking the youngsters to Science World or the Vancouver Artwork Gallery after their weekly Costco run would have been hit with tolls.
A senior citizen who must drive from their house on Kingsway to Vancouver Common Hospital or Saint Pauls for rehabilitation after a critical fall could be hit with tolls.
A waitress who works downtown and lives in Langley? She could be hit with tolls too.
What concerning the downtown restaurant that’s already barely hanging on? These meals deliveries throughout the wall would have been way more costly.
The toll wall could also be lifeless for now, however there’s at all times a threat of it rising like a zombie from the filth.
That’s as a result of 40 per cent of the present metropolis council nonetheless had favoured the wall.
Re-elected councilor Rebbecca Bligh, from ABC, voted in favour of the toll wall in 2020 however now opposes it. Vancouverites want to verify Bligh stays on the straight and slim and opposes the toll wall if it involves a vote once more.
Councilors, Christine Boyle from the municipal celebration One Metropolis in addition to Pete Fry and Adriane Carr, each from the Inexperienced Occasion, voted in favour of the toll wall.
Sim campaigned towards the toll wall, he gained massive. The town councilors working on his slate campaigned towards the toll wall too. Vancouver voters could have put the problem to relaxation for the second, however we have to stay vigilant, and maintain this new authorities accountable on their guarantees to taxpayers.
Carson Binda is the British Columbia director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.