Millennium Line - Broadway Extension: Planning & Pre-Construction

[quobobo]

I like that, jlousa. Would be a nice way to do things.

[Kisai]

Originally Posted by Klazu

I know it has previously been only 1/3, but didn't Justin promise something like 10 billion for BC transit, so the pie is much larger than previously. In the article NDP's election promise was worded to "quadruple" the current transit funding, which sounds like a bigger pie as well. The 1/3 might become 2/3 or 2/5... Who knows.

Only Conservatives were not promising anything new as the Surrey LRT money has been on the table since forever. They are just trying to make the masses believe it is some new money.

What makes you think that the entire 10 billion goes to Surrey?

Victoria and Kelowna, Kamloops have their own projects. Everywhere else in the province the transit system is something of a joke.

[jsbertram]

Originally Posted by Kisai

What makes you think that the entire 10 billion goes to Surrey?

Victoria and Kelowna, Kamloops have their own projects. Everywhere else in the province the transit system is something of a joke.

$20 billion spread across the country over 10 years.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/poli...nsit-over-next-10-years/article26224607/

TO is asking for a couple of billion just to replace their version of Skytrain.
Plus more billions to add new RRT and upgrade existing infrastructure.

[Caliplanner1]

Hopefully if the Liberals win the election tonight the Millennium Line will get a big financial boost!

[queetz@home]

Originally Posted by Caliplanner1

Hopefully if the Liberals win the election tonight the Millennium Line will get a big financial boost!

I dunno about that. Gordon Campbell had to REALLY twist Paul Martin's arm to get the full amount of Federal Funding it needed for the Canada Line. With the Eastern centric spoiled brat at the country's helm now, Broadway and Surrey Rapid transit, as well as any Federal funded transit improvements west of Thunder Bay will be in the back burner for the length of his term. I am just happy that Evergreen Line, Federally contributed by Stephen Harper and his Tories with all the pomp and circumstance....



...is almost completed and there is nothing that Eastern b*st*rd can do about it.

[finalcoolman]

Originally Posted by queetz@home

I dunno about that. Gordon Campbell had to REALLY twist Paul Martin's arm to get the full amount of Federal Funding it needed for the Canada Line. With the Eastern centric spoiled brat at the country's helm now, Broadway and Surrey Rapid transit, as well as any Federal funded transit improvements west of Thunder Bay will be in the back burner for the length of his term. I am just happy that Evergreen Line, Federally contributed by Stephen Harper and his Tories with all the pomp and circumstance....



...is almost completed and there is nothing that Eastern b*st*rd can do about it.

Were you on crack as you were writing this?

[jlousa]

I don't think the federal share of the funding was ever in question regardless of who won this election. The issue has always been and will continue to be finding translinks share, and that isn't going to change with federal governement change.

[GlassCity]

Originally Posted by jlousa

I don't think the federal share of the funding was ever in question regardless of who won this election. The issue has always been and will continue to be finding translinks share, and that isn't going to change with federal governement change.

Is it so ridiculous to think that it could not though? I didn't vote based on the assumption, as I agree it's not likely, but why wouldn't a government fund more than a 1/3?

[TourOdeon]

Trudeau won, high likelihood this transit project will receive the required fundings

[jlousa]

It's not out of the question... but if that ratio changes we can expect to see higher federal taxes and the consequences of it. The current system has worked quite well, we just need to get the local side of things in order and I don't see that happening as the mayors don't want to raise property taxes. Don't think it's absurd to think local taxes should pay for things that benefit locals.

[GlassCity]

Originally Posted by jlousa

It's not out of the question... but if that ratio changes we can expect to see higher federal taxes and the consequences of it. The current system has worked quite well, we just need to get the local side of things in order and I don't see that happening as the mayors don't want to raise property taxes. Don't think it's absurd to think local taxes should pay for things that benefit locals.

I don't, but as someone who voted for the 0.5% tax, it does already seem like we pay quite a bit and yet we have such a hard time supporting our 1/3. Honest question for everybody, does Toronto or Montreal pay as many taxes?

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by jlousa

It's not out of the question... but if that ratio changes we can expect to see higher federal taxes and the consequences of it. The current system has worked quite well, we just need to get the local side of things in order and I don't see that happening as the mayors don't want to raise property taxes. Don't think it's absurd to think local taxes should pay for things that benefit locals.

I don't like the current 1/3 each system because of the disproportionate amount of tax collecting ability of each level of government. Municipal governments collect something like 10 cents of every tax dollar.

Having something like the 0.5% of the PST collected in Metro Vancouver to pay for transit in this region is reasonable. It could just as easily be GST, or income tax, etc.

[GMasterAres]

Yah a different federal government won't change the fact the Provincial government needs to govern and they're the reason why we've spent years trying to figure out how to fund things. They keep blaming Mayors and local government yet they tell them to make a choice from a list of 1 funding source, property taxes.

[Caliplanner1]

Originally Posted by queetz@home

I dunno about that. Gordon Campbell had to REALLY twist Paul Martin's arm to get the full amount of Federal Funding it needed for the Canada Line. With the Eastern centric spoiled brat at the country's helm now, Broadway and Surrey Rapid transit, as well as any Federal funded transit improvements west of Thunder Bay will be in the back burner for the length of his term. I am just happy that Evergreen Line, Federally contributed by Stephen Harper and his Tories with all the pomp and circumstance....



...is almost completed and there is nothing that Eastern b*st*rd can do about it.

Justin's mother is from North Van so maybe,....just maybe he might take a proactive interest in Vancouver's mass transit issues. By-the-way,...did the Liberals pick up any seats in the Vancouver metro area?

[GMasterAres]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

I don't like the current 1/3 each system because of the disproportionate amount of tax collecting ability of each level of government. Municipal governments collect something like 10 cents of every tax dollar.

Having something like the 0.5% of the PST collected in Metro Vancouver to pay for transit in this region is reasonable. It could just as easily be GST, or income tax, etc.

Yah but that would require the Province to have some balls and actually make decisions. Our government unfortunately has shown it just talks and doesn't actually _do_ much that could be deemed dangerous to them being re-elected.

I'm now of the opinion that we'll get the ability to fund new transit sources only in 2 more years. If we collectively elect the Liberals again though then funding will come in 6 years.

[Klazu]

This is excellent news indeed. I hope we will see this project announced in 2016 and the plan be to built it all the way to UBC!

[GMasterAres]

Yah correction to a few posters here, it is $20 billion over 10 years to the entire country. That is $2 billion per year spread across Canada. That doesn't mean they won't fund what has been stated LRT in Surrey (SkyTrain is LRT we can still hope right?), Broadway, and extended SeaBus service as 1/3rd of each of those is probably $1-1.5 billion which over the next decade is possible.

But again $20 billion is the whole country. NOT just BC.

People don't seem to realize the Liberal.ca web site shows you promises for your area only. So if you click on transit it shows Surrey, Broadway, and SeaBus. If you are in Toronto it doesn't....

[Klazu]

Good news nonetheless.

Over the next decade, we will quadruple federal investment in public transit, investing almost $20 billion more in transit infrastructure.

In communities all across Canada, transit projects are ready to go.In British Columbia’s Lower Mainland, for example, plans are in place to:

- increase SeaBus service to every ten minutes during morning and afternoon rushes;
- extend rapid transit service along Broadway, currently the busiest bus corridor in North America; and
- bring light rail transit to Surrey, one of the fastest growing parts of the region.We will work with provinces and municipalities across the country to get projects like these done.

http://www.liberal.ca/realchange/public-transit%E2%80%A8/

[GMasterAres]

Your point? Like I said they will have the funding for those three things. but the $20 billion is for the entire Country from BC to PEI.

In British Columbia’s Lower Mainland, for example, plans are in place to:

The rest of the $20 billion over 10 years (again $2 billion per year) will go to all parts of the country including continued transit initiatives in Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, etc. etc..

Don't get me wrong it's still good to have confirmed funding for some confirmed BC projects, but don't think we're getting some huge pie. We're getting a piece of the pie, and we're likely getting what we would have gotten from the Conservatives or NDP. It just sounds really good because a lot of people seem to think $20 billion was just for BC just like a lot of people I've spoken to in other parts of the country think it's $20 billion for their own Province.

https://sukhdhaliwal.liberal.ca/liberals-announce-additional-20-billion-for-public-transit/

The Liberal Party of Canada is committing to an additional $20 billion in public transportation funding over the next decade based on the country’s top regional priorities.

[mezzanine]

I agree this is good news for transit. Interestingly the Fraser highway corridor have liberal MPs and I see a lot of stars-in-place for skytrain down Fraser Highway. Langley City is held now by Liberal MP John Aldag. Ken Hardie, the former spokesman for translink, is the (surprise) MP of Fleetwood.

My 2 cents - somehow, an evergreen-line like 11th hour announcement to some sort of property tax increase to put up translink's share to start getting what federal (and provincial) infrastructure money there is. And ongoing strong motivation to have surrey's plan, going thru liberal constituencies, start sooner than vancouver's...