Richmond city councillor wants to pressure Victoria and Ottawa for emergency transit funds
Richmond Coun. Kelly Greene is calling on her colleagues to ask the provincial and federal governments to cough up emergency funding for public transportation in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Greene is presenting a motion at Monday's council meeting requesting council send letters to the parliamentary secretary for TransLink; provincial ministers of transportation, environment, and finance; and federal ministers of transportation and finance to request financial support for regional transit.
Greene said she is concerned public transportation revenue losses during the pandemic will mean reduced services in the long term for people who need it the most — primarily essential and low-income workers and seniors.
"I'm really worried that when we start reopening businesses the people that will be hurt will be the people on the front lines," Greene said Monday on The Early Edition.
In April, at the height of the pandemic, TransLink said it was losing about $75 million per month and at a June board meeting, the Metro Vancouver transit authority projected losses between $544 million and $1.4 billion, depending on how well the region recovers from the pandemic.
"When we see these continued shortfalls in the budget, I really worry about long-term cuts to service," said Greene.
Metro Vancouver mayors have asked Ottawa to commit to a $375-million-a-year permanent transit fund to support future regional transit expansion plans.
In an interview on The Early Edition Friday, Catherine McKenna, federal minister of infrastructure and communities, said she has spoken to local mayors and is committed to looking at how to move forward on these plans.
"We've been having conversations to get the actual business plan," said McKenna. "We need to understand what is the broader plan."
Greene said it amazed her to hear that McKenna is waiting on a business case when, according to Greene, a clear case already exists.
"There is a clearly laid out 10-year plan ... this isn't just a wish list," said Greene, referring to the 10-year regional transportation plan developed in 2014 by the mayors' council.
Greene also said there would be spin-off economic benefits if construction projects identified in the 10-year plan could get underway now and employ people currently out of work.
"It's really a win-win," said Greene.
To hear the complete interview with Coun. Kelly Greene on The Early Edition, tap the audio link below:
