Whether he likes it or not, Steve Tetu accepts that he has to move his business to make way for Evergreen Line construction.

However, the terms around that move don’t sit well with the Port Moody-based business owner.

“No amount of pleading or bleeding hearts is going to make them reroute the train a block away so I can stay. One person is not going to make them add another $2 million on to a line. So I just said, ‘OK, let’s get the compensation going and get it done.’ But that hasn’t happened,” he said.

Tetu’s automotive shop, EBI Cruiser Parts, is located on Moray Street, which is within the design envelope of the Evergreen Line. Because of that, he’s been asked to pack up and relocate by the provincial government, though no timeline has been given for the move.

The Coquitlam resident’s primary frustration stems from the lack of communication he’s had with the province, and the government’s offer to compensate him with what he estimates to be less than a quarter of what it will cost to uproot his business from its Port Moody location to a warehouse complex in east Port Coquitlam.

He says he first received notice from the province in April of last year that he would have to move, but received nothing in writing until Sept. 30, 2010. At that time, the letter suggested he would be compensated for “mutually agreed relocation costs, business costs, legal and other costs appropriate in the circumstance.”

“That is the actual only legal document that I have. Everything is verbal, or a very vague e-mail. I’ve been trying to ask questions and have them send me information back,” said Tetu, who set up his vehicle customization shop on Moray Street four years ago.

“Everything has been verbal up until this point except for that one piece of paper. It’s just hearsay and e-mails with no real 100-per-cent facts.”

Despite that lack of communication, Tetu began compiling the costs he felt would be associated with the move and the renovation to his new warehouse — everything from new alarm systems and wiring to costs associated with marketing and the move itself.

The number he’s tentatively arrived at comes in at more than $175,000, though he’s still unsure as to what the final tally will be because of a delay in getting his building permits approved in Port Coquitlam, and other costs that he won’t be able to assess until he’s in his new shop.

Tetu said the province’s counter offer came back to him at approximately $58,000, and he figures he’ll only get about 25 per cent of the actual relocation costs back.

However, a statement issued Thursday by Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Shirley Bond suggests that the “vast majority” of expropriation agreements are agreed upon through consensus.

“The province has proposed flexible timelines for relocation and all negotiations with tenants are in the spirit of affording businesses appropriate times to make the necessary arrangements,” Bond said in the statement.

“The negotiations have started early so that businesses are accommodated as well as possible and are given as much time as possible. Historically, the ministry’s expropriation rate is very low and reflects our exceptional efforts at working collaboratively during property acquisition processes.”

Tetu is also upset about the methodology the province has used in making its offer to him. Among other things, he said that Ministry of Transportation staff suggested he rely upon friends to help move the business as opposed to using a professional moving company.

He added that the government’s offer was based upon his shop being open for half days in some instances, and for a quarter of the normal business day in others. Tetu said his business doesn’t work like that.

“If you have an expedition vehicle in here that you need to go somewhere, and it’s an eight-hour job that’s required, you would laugh at me if I said, ‘Well sir, we’re going to work on your truck for two hours today, two hours tomorrow and only for an hour the next day.’ Imagine telling a customer that that eight-hour project won’t be done for a week and half? It’s not going to work. We’re either open or we’re closed. My schedule is not dictated by this chart.”

The Coquitlam resident also maintains that the compensation offer does nothing to address the time it will take between when his shop closes down in Port Moody, and when the new one opens up in PoCo — a timeframe Tetu suggests will be more than a month at the least.

The PoCo facility requires a major renovation, and because of the building’s odd shape, will require considerable planning even before those renovations take place.

“It’s a bigger warehouse, and with that comes more property taxes, more heat, more light, more insurance,” he said. “I was kind of content with what we had here because it was affordable and it was within the budget.”

Dave MacRitchie’s Spring Street-based shop, MacRitchie’s Automotive Specialties, has also been tapped for relocation, though MacRitchie declined to comment when contacted by The NOW.

John Kurucz | – The Coquitlam NOW -

TransLink once again has come up with no new ideas but to push for higher property taxes and vehicle levies. Does this mean that residents have to pay for their inefficiencies, their lack of commitment and responsibility?

It was no secret that rapid transit to Coquitlam has to be a shared responsibility between federal and provincial governments and TransLink. While two of the three partners have lived up to their commitment, TransLink has no plans to play their part other than pushing their responsibility over to the taxpayers. It seems to me that they want to keep the status quo, push for higher taxes and collecting revenue from Evergreen expansion.

Federal and provincial governments are committed to going ahead with this project regardless. Although promises are afloat, there don’t seem to be further assurances from either of the senior levels of government to bite the bullet. Even if they do, indirectly it will eventually have to be paid for by the taxpayers.

Change of political climate in the province, among other things, casts even more doubts upon the future of this transportation upgrade without an overrun — or failure to meet the project design or complete the project.

A simple analogy is, would you ever think of starting to build your house without securing a mortgage or bank loan? Will your house have all the doors, windows and the roof you wanted or are you willing to go short of the original plan?

This nagging problem of funding shortfall, however, can be overcome if all partners review the strategy and are willing to change the road map. Partnership between federal and provincial governments and TransLink was the basis of funding to complete the long-awaited rapid transit to the northeast region, which is much needed to cope with the rapid population shift to this area and to support the businesses and new investments.

However, due to financial instability in TransLink’s operation in recent years, their funding portion has not received a place in their annual budgets and there doesn’t seem to be a commitment on TransLink’s part to the project at this time without hurting the taxpayer.

There was a glimmer of hope when the memorandum of understanding was signed by the premier and TransLink a couple of months ago.

It has been said that TransLink’s mayors’ council and the province have hammered out an agreement to talk about funding sources, and yet nothing substantial has been put forward.

Following the signing of the memorandum of understanding, the chair of the mayors’ council admitted that the agreement still falls short on specifics, strengthening my observations that there have been tons of motherhood statements and not many concrete solutions.

It has also been said by politicians that there is now trust and willingness to look at all options (shared responsibilities) for transportation, i.e revisiting already hashed-out old ideas such as increasing municipal property taxes, provincial carbon taxes, higher transit fares and levies.

Nobody could agree with me more that we are taxed to the hilt and another tax burden will only hurt us more. I don’t see this as an incentive at all to transit users and residents, who will eventually be the ones bringing in revenue to TransLink.

At the Union of B.C. Municipalities in September of last year, the B.C. Transit Service warned that the transit system will become unsustainable within five years under the present system.

However, these types of warnings, combined with changing political winds, do not guarantee the success of the project. To support the population growth and the businesses in the Tri-Cities, this infrastructure upgrade is imperative. Delaying this much-needed rapid transit system will only escalate the project costs even further.

Therefore, it is time now for all partners to think out of the box and come out with new ideas.

More than the federal and provincial governments and TransLink, we in the northeast region and the local municipalities need the rapid transit line to come here. If people in Tri-Cities and local governments say yes, it is imperative that we come up with a solution rather than hem and haw about TransLink’s inability to come up with the funding they promised.

Here is an idea that comes to mind, and it involves the amazing success story of the charities, hospital foundations that raise millions of dollars year after year from lotteries to support their projects.

Is there something here we can learn from them? Absolutely. Is there anything wrong with running a municipal lottery to bridge the shortfall? I think not.

If the municipalities look at this as a viable option and act on it, then it is only right that the municipalities collect the revenue until they have recovered all costs apportioned to the project.

This is not the only solution. There are other options such as public private partnership and private ownership, the logistics of which will have to be revamped to find the best solution.

I strongly believe if something is worth doing, do it right.

It is insane to think of running a transportation system based on property taxes and maintain escalating future costs of operating it.

However I have faith in the provincial government, municipal governments and TransLink with their ability to iron out these kinks and come up with a sustainable transit system.

Andy Wickey, Coquitlam

- Coquitlam NOW -

The long-delayed Evergreen Line rapid transit project is missing millions of dollars in funding, but that hasn’t stopped eviction notices from going out to business owners in Port Moody.

Several shops along the planned route have already closed, while some others must clear out by the end of the month to make way for construction.

NDP transportation critic Harry Bains blasted the provincial government, TransLink and contractors for the “premature” notices.

Construction dates haven’t been publicly announced and TransLink has yet to come up with its $400-million share of funding.

“There’s been a lack of respect,” Bains said. “These individuals are being asked to pay a big price. It’s their businesses and their livelihoods. The government must ensure a smooth transition for these people.”

Compensatory talks with affected property owners continue.

Matt Kieltyka | – Metro -

Transportation Minister Shirley Bond said Monday the province hasn’t issued any eviction notices as a result of preparations for the Evergreen Line rapid transit project.

Businesses are relocating because of the long-promised rapid-transit link to Coquitlam. But the project, the contruction of which is slated to begin this year, has a budget that is still lacking $400 million pledged by cash-strapped TransLink.

The businesses moving aren’t being evicted by the province, Bond said in a statement.

“I am advised that the province has not issued any eviction notices,” she wrote. “Work on the Evergreen Line has been underway for two years, including property acquisition, design and engineering to get ready for construction.

“The province has proposed flexible time lines for relocation and all negotiations with tenants are in the spirit of affording businesses appropriate times to make the necessary arrangements,” said Bond.

But there’s still no word on how TransLink is going to raise its share of the project, which has a $400-million commitment from the federal government and $410 million from the province.

Frank Luba | fluba@theprovince.com | – The Province -

Port Moody businesses are being given eviction notices to make way for construction of the Evergreen transit line, even though funding for the project is not in place.

And for some, such as Steven Tetu, owner of EBI Cruiser Parts, the deadline is looming as early as this month.

Tetu, who leases land for his business on Moray Street from Port Moody Mayor Joe Trasolini, had initially been told he would have to be out of his shop in December, but now won’t likely move until later this month.

Tetu, who scrambled to find new digs in Port Coquitlam, is in the midst of negotiating with the province for compensation for the move, which he estimates will cost up to $19,000 for everything from building permits to a new phone number.

“What they’re paying me now is not enough to set the new warehouse up,” Tetu said, noting he will likely have to shut down his business for a month while he gets set up.

“This isn’t a huge gravy making business … but I have to be able to pay the bills. As long as I’m covered, I can deal with the headaches and the stress.”

Tetu said he wasn’t aware when he leased the land four years ago that he would likely have to move as a result of the Evergreen Line.

Others have already shuttered their shops, he noted, and he’s got no choice but to leave because the rapid transit line is expected to slice through the property along the Port Moody waterfront.

“We have to move, period,” he said.

But down the road, Dave MacRitchie, of MacRitchie Automotive Specialties, isn’t scurrying to pack up his automotive shed even though he’s been told he has to be out by March.

MacRitchie, who’s had his shop on Spring Street for 21 years, hasn’t even started negotiations for compensation, and argues the constant delays and funding woes plaguing the Evergreen Line have made him ambivalent to the move. His landlords, he added, don’t even want to sell the land.

“The whole thing is really up in the air at this point,” he said. “There are all kinds of rumours about the status of the train. I’m quite sure in the new year, things will crank up.”

The proposed $1.4-billion Evergreen Line has been in limbo for years, most recently because TransLink is struggling to come up with its $400-million share of the project, which will link Burnaby with Port Moody and Coquitlam Centre. The federal and provincial governments will shoulder the rest of the costs.

TransLink had suggested the project be funded by a property tax increase, but regional mayors balked at that, prompting Transportation Minister Shirley Bond to give TransLink a few more months to come up with alternative funding sources.

The transit line, which was expected to be running by 2014, would whisk passengers from Coquitlam Centre to downtown Vancouver in 40 minutes. Two stations are planned for Port Moody.

MacRitchie said he likely won’t keep his business in Port Moody. If the province continues to push to relocate businesses and the Evergreen Line doesn’t go forward, he added, Port Moody is “going to be an empty town commercially and industrially.”

According to a Port Moody staff report issued in October, the city expects it will lose about $200,000 in property tax revenue if the province acquires all the proposed properties it needs. That number would drop to $124,000 or lower if only a portion of those properties are demolished or modified.

Trasolini, who wouldn’t comment on Tetu’s lease because it would be a conflict of interest, noted that when he bought the land Tetu is leasing it wasn’t on the route for the Evergreen Line, which was initially slated for St. John’s Street.

He acknowledged some tenants have already moved in anticipation of the Evergreen Line being built while others closed up shop when their leases came up for renewal. But he said he’s not aware of a huge number of relocations right now because the deadline for construction of the line has been pushed back. “Everything is up in the air,” he said.

The Ministry of Transportation originally said construction on the Evergreen Line would start early this year but it has been pushed back a few months until TransLink deals with its funding issues.

Kelly Sinoski | ksinoski@vancouversun.com | – The Vancouver Sun -

It has been a crazy ride — more like an outing on Disneyland’s Matterhorn than a trip on a rapid transit system — but in the end, more progress may have been made on the Evergreen Line than many may have expected when 2010 began.

Although the funding issue has yet to be resolved and TransLink is no further ahead than it was this time last year on finding its $400-million share of the $1.4-billion project, many milestones were reached this year.

B.C.’s Ministry of Transportation has already begun to acquire properties along the Burnaby-to-Coquitlam route where houses and businesses are in the way of the alignment. Several homes have been purchased and negotiations are underway with at least 30 businesses, many of them in Port Moody.

An environmental assessment review acknowledged that dozens of homes and apartments would be affected by noise from construction and the line’s cars, and some businesses would need to be relocated while others would be affected by construction. In the end, the assessment recommended enhanced communication, the establishment of a business advisory group and noise mitigation strategies. Still, the final certification required for construction hasn’t been approved.

People also got to see some early drawings of the confirmed six stations that will feature glass and wood, fare gates, extra parking and bike racks.

But while these tangible efforts to get the Evergreen Line running by 2014 were given prominence in the news, what really captured people’s attention was the politics surrounding funding, the location and certainty of two additional stations for Port Moody and Coquitlam, and the question of whether Port Coquitlam should also have a station.

What has been confirmed is that six stations will be built and Port Moody and Coquitlam could get a third station each if there were enough density planned for the area and $20 million could be raised in development fees to pay for them.

Coquitlam Mayor Richard Stewart has accepted that reality and believes the city has the density. Port Moody Mayor Joe Trasolini, meanwhile, is concerned the money to pay for stations will leave cities high and dry for other amenities while Port Coquitlam Mayor Greg Moore is lobbying for a station near his city’s downtown based on future growth in the area and concerns that the current terminus — next to the Evergreen Cultural Centre in Coquitlam’s Town Centre Park — will be a dead end.

As well, TransLink’s mayors’ council has yet to make a decision on how to pay for TransLink’s share of the project. It’s most likely property taxes or a vehicle levy will be used unless the province agrees to some other source. Construction can’t start until a commitment is made.

– The Tri-City News -

We question the priority that has been given to building the United Boulevard Extension (UBE) as part of the North Fraser Perimeter Road (NFPR) for a number of reasons.

• TransLink is currently experiencing funding shortfalls and needs to direct any investment towards projects which have the most benefits
• TransLink has a long list of critical projects which it is currently unable to fund such as the Evergreen Line and transit improvements throughout the region
• The proposed UBE project can have no significant benefit to vehicle movement along the NFPR corridor since it does not begin to address the multitude of bottlenecks and challenges along the NFPR through New Westminster
• The cost and feasibility of completing the NFPR through New Westminster remain unknown and uncertain

This proposed project simply moves a bottleneck from one location to another, while making no concrete measures to address the well-known restrictions in the rest of the system. For this reason spending a large sum of limited transportation dollars on a project with so little benefit for the foreseeable future is not a wise investment.

Of particular concern to Transport Action BC is that the proposed UBE solutions have only focused on the movement of cars and trucks and have not approached the problems of this corridor from the point of view of moving people and goods.

This is unfortunate because the corridor in question is well serviced by existing SkyTrain and bus services, an extensive rail network (parallel to the entire NFPR) and a parallel river.

The opportunities for people living north and east of the UBE corridor to access SkyTrain will significantly improve when the Evergreen Line and the Highway 1 express bus services are initiated. These existing and planned facilities can provide a net benefit for the movement of people and goods through this corridor even without the UBE project by taking some of the pressures off of the current road system and allowing remaining traffic to flow more smoothly.

A balanced, multi-modal corridor will always be more robust than a system which relies on one mode of transportation and we believe a multi-modal approach is much more consistent with the goals and strategies of TransLink’s 2040 vision than the proposed UBE project.

In this particular corridor a multi-modal solution may be the only approach that can work.

As long as the complete plan for the NFPR remains elusive and possibly unachievable we believe that it is incumbent on TransLink to look at all available modes of transportation when planning for improvements to the NFPR corridor.

It is possible that we may get far greater value for TransLink’s $60 million-plus investment if those monies are directed towards enhancing or complementing some of the other existing transportation modes in this corridor.

Matthew Buchanan

President
Transport Action British Columbia
(formerly Transport 2000 BC)

- New Westminster News Leader -

When the Hogan family opened Hogan’s Restaurant and Lounge in Port Moody earlier this year, they figured the Evergreen Line would help rejuvenate the old town and bring in more foot traffic.

Months later, they’re still waiting, partly because property owners and developers are holding off on any new plans until they’re sure the SkyTrain line will come through town.

And even if it does — construction is scheduled to start next year — a station planned for the old section of town has been canned, meaning the Hogans will have to wait even longer to reap any benefits.

“The old town is very quiet. We’re doing pretty good but we’re a destination,” Marilyn Hogan said. “We have to market and spend money like crazy; there’s no one coming by here.

“[The SkyTrain] will help us but not immediately and not directly. It’s made things a lot more long term for us.”

The Hogans only moved to Port Moody in March. But others have been waiting even longer to see the benefits of the Evergreen Line, an 11-kilometre rapid transit line that has been promised to link Burnaby, Port Moody and Coquitlam for the past 20 years.

The $1.4-billion rapid transit line has been in limbo as TransLink tries to find ways to fund its $400-million share. It initially suggested a property tax increase, but mayors balked at that, leading Transportation Minister Shirley Bond to give TransLink a few more months to come up with alternative funding sources in its “supplemental funding” plan for the next three years. The rest of the funding will come from the federal and provincial governments.

In a report on the TransLink plan, regional transportation commissioner Martin Crilly noted the longer the Evergreen Line lies in limbo, the more uncertainties will abound. He noted previous studies found that a high-capacity, high-speed rapid transit link to the northeast sector is justified “only if its potential to shape the form of urban development is realized.”

Municipalities along the route have already created significant density, he added, then said there’s concern about what “urban form” the area will take in the future.

But both Port Moody Mayor Joe Trasolini and Coquitlam Mayor Richard Stewart insist there is still potential for development in their cities, which have been focusing high-density projects around designated transit modes such as Newport Village and Coquitlam Town Centre.

Port Moody has suspended growth until the Evergreen Line is built. Other areas such as Burquitlam, which is slated for redevelopment, have been waiting years for a facelift to boost business and attract more people to live and work in the community.

Stewart noted his city is committed to building density within 400 metres of a SkyTrain station, pointing out some sections of Burnaby’s Millennium Line, such as Holdom and Lake City Way, are an “enormous disappointment” because there’s no one living around them. But he noted nobody wants to build anything until the shovel hits the ground.

“Once [construction of the Evergreen Line] starts, everyone will breathe a sigh of relief and start development,” he said, adding people don’t want to buy a condo in a “dirty part of town” when they’re not sure the SkyTrain is ever going to arrive. Trasolini acknowledged some businesses in his city, particularly along the St. John’s corridor, are struggling.

“The existing neighbourhood is suffering because of a lack of certainty about the future,” he said. “We can’t even build an 11-kilometre SkyTrain line. It’s been 20 years and we’ve got nothing.”

While the province has said construction will begin on the line next year, Stewart said nothing should be taken for granted. While TransLink has been given the option to find additional funding sources, he added, the regional mayors had already committed to the SkyTrain line and may have to raise taxes to do it.

TransLink’s proposed supplemental funding plans called for mayors to raise property taxes at least $36 per average household, starting in 2012.

“I hope we can come up with a better solution,” Stewart said, adding TransLink isn’t even working toward putting commercial businesses in the transit stations. “Property tax doesn’t guide anyone’s actions.”

Crilly agreed that while property taxes have a role to play in transportation investments, there has to be more of a focus on finding “stable and predictable funding sources,” such as road tolls, to encourage more people to use transit.

He said the more funding sources “influence travel behaviour,” the faster TransLink will get people out of their cars and using the region’s transportation.

Berit Sunde, owner of By Berit Boutique on Clarke Street, said shopkeepers are facing a double whammy because the long-awaited Murray-Clarke Connector has been bumped from TransLink’s priority list.

Marilyn Hogan said she expects that the Evergreen Line will eventually bring more people to the area but doesn’t expect that right away because it’ll take years for more residential development to happen.

“All the old heritage of Port Moody is here, the art community … everything Port Moody is built on is in the old town. I’m disappointed by the lack of interest. We thought there would be some rejuvenation of the area.”

Kelly Sinoski | ksinoski@vancouversun.com | – The Vancouver Sun -

While promising to back Mayor Joe Trasolini in voting down any Evergreen Line budget that does not include funding for the Murray-Clarke Connector, Port Moody city councillors began eyeing their alternatives Tuesday.

Some of those alternatives presented to council by city manager Gaetan Royer aim to drum up independent funding for MCC while others are designed to put pressure on TransLink to get it back on the books.

Before the alternatives were put forth, Royer gave his own appraisal of the long-awaited overpass in light of TransLink’s dropping of the project from its recent 2011 supplemental budget.

Although that proposed budget has since been withdrawn, there is no indication TransLink intends to fund Murray-Clarke in the future, due to what it deemed the project’s lack of priority from a business standpoint, he said.

“Unless the MCC [Murray-Clarke Connector] is re-inserted in TransLink’s list of priority projects in the immediate future, the project will be delayed by at least a further four years,” Royer wrote in his presentation to council. “The best estimate is that the city will continue to be thwarted in its efforts to get this long-overdue project built until at least early 2015.”

Following his assessment, the mayor and council discussed what interim measures they could undertake to ease traffic problems in Port Moody and get Murray-Clarke built with or without TransLink money.

The first of five measures tabled, but not recommended by Royer or his city staff, involves synchronizing traffic signals and adding dedicated lanes to optimize through-traffic flow during peak hours while increasing delays for local traffic and pedestrians.

Coun. Diana Dilworth was alone in supporting that plan.

“We rely on access to other municipalities to get to our places of business, to get to our homes, and I think we do have a regional responsibility in some respect,” she said. “So I would look at how we can accommodate one-way or through-way traffic if we don’t get the MCC.”

The second measure considered was just the opposite, with non-local traffic being diverted away from Port Moody.

This option, favoured by councillors Bob Elliott, Meghan Lahti and Karen Rockwell, would use lane restrictions, traffic-calmed areas, one-way streets and barriers to shift through-traffic away from Port Moody and onto major routes such as Como Lake and Austin avenues, Lougheed Highway and Highway 1.

“I think now we have to make a statement that we cannot just keep letting them [TransLink] take advantage of us. So, to make a statement, I’d like to see [option] number two happen,” Elliott said.

The third measure proposed to council was for the city to build the Murray-Clarke Connector on its own by borrowing money, amending city budgets and, possibly, stretching the construction over phases. This measure also suggested imposing tolls on Port Moody roadways, something Mayor Trasolini said the city would have to ask the province for the authority to do.

The fourth option before the city involves working directly with TransLink to develop the “business case” for the expanded east-west corridor connector so the transit authority will recognize it as a priority.

That idea drew mixed reactions.

If TransLink is after a business-minded justification for the connector, that should be self-evident in the expansion of the east-west corridor, Trasolini said.

“The notion that we have to provide a business plan is insulting,” Lahti said. “As the mayor has indicated, this has been on their plan for several years — since TransLink’s existence — and all of a sudden for them to turn around and say that there is no validation for it is ridiculous.”

Lahti added that she supports restricting road access to Port Moody “strategically” in order to make the point to TransLink and to the province that MCC needs to be built.

The fifth and final option considered by Port Moody council involves developing a public relations strategy to put pressure on TransLink and the province to support Murray-Clarke while keeping the issue top-of-mind for Port Moody and Metro Vancouver residents.

Todd Coyne | tcoyne@tricitynews.com | – The Tri-City News -

I’d like to take this opportunity to correct statements by the Opposition leader about transit services in Metro Vancouver ( Better planning, stable funding needed for transit projects, Nov. 26).

New transit expansion is coming online all the time in Metro Vancouver. This is more important now than ever because our population is growing. Transit can help our communities move people quickly and effectively, and reduce the number of vehicles on the road. This effort takes planning and hard work by all levels of government.

The facts clearly demonstrate our commitment to improving service and boosting ridership in Metro Vancouver. Provincial contributions to local transit are the highest per capita of any province, says the Canadian Urban Transit Association. With investments of more than $700 million since 2008, we’ve supported projects in Metro Vancouver that are providing sustainable choices and improving the way we travel.

Metro Vancouver will benefit from the most ambitious transit plan in the history of B.C. The Provincial Transit Plan is a $14-billion strategy to put more transit in service with the goals of increasing ridership and reducing greenhouse gases. This year the province increased gas tax revenues to TransLink by $60 million annually. By 2020, transit investments will receive a record level of provincial funding — $4.2 billion — for Metro Vancouver.

New services include rapid transit lines, buses, trains and a sea bus, as well as infrastructure improvements — such as shoulder bus lanes and bridge expansions — to keep buses moving. We’re working with the region on new rapid transit projects to the University of British Columbia and Surrey.

Technical work is now underway to get the Evergreen Line moving. We’ve committed more than two-thirds of the project cost. With over $800 million dedicated for Evergreen from the provincial and federal governments, it’s time to get going. It is reasonable that the region also contribute funding.

With the Mayors’ Council on Regional Transportation, we will work together to determine a regional funding source for Evergreen. A memorandum of understanding between our government and the mayors will guide our work to find solutions. This agreement is the first of its kind and represents a constructive forum for discussion on long-term, sustainable funding.

In Metro Vancouver, people are making significant shifts in the way they view and use transit. During the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, the new Canada Line showed that transit is the way to travel. Ridership is stronger than ever, and more and more people are using transit in Metro Vancouver.

Sustainable transit requires thoughtful consideration and a strong commitment to partnership by all levels of government. The province is forging new territory to find viable solutions to double ridership and help improve the quality of life in our communities.

All governments working on transit expansion should be proud of the progress we’ve made together for British Columbians.

Shirley Bond is B.C.’s Transportation and Infrastructure Minister.

- The Vancouver Sun -