Backing Away From The Gregor Plan
I have no inside knowledge on this, but yesterday's big Regional Transportation Accord announcement has Mayor Dianne Watts's fingerprints all over it. Taking a cue from the Livability Accord strategy, Lower Mainland mayors have signed off--along with business, labour and environmental leaders--on a "Regional Transportation Accord calling on all three levels of government and TransLink to work together to find solutions to achieve adequate funding." (See press release here.)
This is a classic Dianne move--when in doubt, expand your coalition--and stands a much better chance at gaining traction in Victoria than the last suggestion the Mayors made: asking for the carbon tax revenue to be directed to TransLink.
That idea, Mayor Green tells me, came from Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson--maybe the last guy in any City Hall in British Columbia that you want to take advice from when it comes to the provincial government.
A former NDP MLA, Gregor runs very hot and cold when it comes to the Province, whether it be gushing over the Premier at an event, retracting those same statements when they were (gasp!) published, or negotiating the HEAT shelter funding via press release. He doesn't seem to grasp any of the fundamental principles of how the BC Liberals operate.
The carbon tax suggestion is the perfect example: here's Premier Campbell's great personal political gambit, which is only barely tolerable to many British Columbians because, by law, the revenues must be returned to the public through income tax cuts and the Climate Action Dividend. Robertson suggests instead that this money should flow into transit--making it a pure tax grab. Instead of just asking for the money outright from the provincial treasury, he tried to be cute with the carbon tax, and that was a complete non-starter. It was shot down within hours, no matter what the Mayors tried to say.
These Mayors have one major hurdle when it comes to the Province baling out TransLink: from what I can glean from the BC Liberals I talk to, they do not feel provincial tax dollars should flow into TransLink's operating revenue stream because, effectively, people in Williams Lake, Trail, Prince George (where new Transportation Minister Shirley Bond lives), and elsewhere would be funding transit in the Lower Mainland.
Now John Winter of the BC Chamber of Commerce gets this. Read his comment from yesterday's signing:
Of course, as Vancouver Councillor Andrea Reimer pointed out on Twitter this morning, a cow washing up on shore in Victoria received more press than this Accord. Sigh.
This is a classic Dianne move--when in doubt, expand your coalition--and stands a much better chance at gaining traction in Victoria than the last suggestion the Mayors made: asking for the carbon tax revenue to be directed to TransLink.
That idea, Mayor Green tells me, came from Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson--maybe the last guy in any City Hall in British Columbia that you want to take advice from when it comes to the provincial government.
A former NDP MLA, Gregor runs very hot and cold when it comes to the Province, whether it be gushing over the Premier at an event, retracting those same statements when they were (gasp!) published, or negotiating the HEAT shelter funding via press release. He doesn't seem to grasp any of the fundamental principles of how the BC Liberals operate.
The carbon tax suggestion is the perfect example: here's Premier Campbell's great personal political gambit, which is only barely tolerable to many British Columbians because, by law, the revenues must be returned to the public through income tax cuts and the Climate Action Dividend. Robertson suggests instead that this money should flow into transit--making it a pure tax grab. Instead of just asking for the money outright from the provincial treasury, he tried to be cute with the carbon tax, and that was a complete non-starter. It was shot down within hours, no matter what the Mayors tried to say.
These Mayors have one major hurdle when it comes to the Province baling out TransLink: from what I can glean from the BC Liberals I talk to, they do not feel provincial tax dollars should flow into TransLink's operating revenue stream because, effectively, people in Williams Lake, Trail, Prince George (where new Transportation Minister Shirley Bond lives), and elsewhere would be funding transit in the Lower Mainland.
Now John Winter of the BC Chamber of Commerce gets this. Read his comment from yesterday's signing:
"While the BC Chamber represents businesses of every size, of every sector in every region of the province, we recognize that the current congestion in Metro Vancouver is having a negative impact on the ability to move people, goods and services that are inherent in a healthy, robust economy. We need to ensure that we have the ongoing funding in place to support a long term transportation plan that supports growth in the region and province. The BC Chamber remains committed to providing our input to all parties to find the appropriate solutions."
Of course, as Vancouver Councillor Andrea Reimer pointed out on Twitter this morning, a cow washing up on shore in Victoria received more press than this Accord. Sigh.
posted by Jordan Bateman @ 8:01 AM
