If I were in their shoes, I'd be voting "yes" too.
With ballots set to arrive in mailboxes two months from now, efforts have already begun to sell Greater Vancouver residents on the need to support the upcoming transit referendum. We're being asked to OK a 0.5 per cent increase to the provincial sales tax to fund improvements to the regional network.
There have to be precious few people out there that believe our transit system is adequate, so the issue really isn't whether we need the upgrades, but rather how much are they going to cost and, perhaps more importantly for our purposes, who stands to benefit?
Surrey threw its considerable might behind the referendum this week while highlighting all the upgrades it would bring, including light rail along King George Boulevard and the Fraser Highway.
New Westminster also jumped on board to support the construction of a new Pattullo Bridge, one of the big-ticket items in the plan.
Delta, on the other hand, hasn't said much, likely because there's not a whole lot to get excited about around here. Delta South MLA Vicki Huntington has termed our list of so-called benefits, which don't amount to much more than a promise of better bus service, as the "crumbs," which is an apt description of the situation.
It stands to reason that Ladner and Tsawwassen, which are small, relatively isolated communities at the edge of the region, wouldn't be in line for significant transit improvements. We choose to live here and enjoy an enviable quality of life as a result, but we pay for that lifestyle on several fronts, the lack of transit options being one of them.
Now we're being asked to pay again, quite literally, through the upcoming referendum, but this time the trade-off isn't nearly as appealing. We'll see the sales tax rise by half a point, but we'll watch the money generated by that bump get spent elsewhere in the region.
There's no denying the ever-increasing congestion on Lower Mainland roads is everyone's problem, and it should be noted that we'll benefit greatly when a bridge eventually replaces the George Massey Tunnel, but I still find it difficult to financially support a long-term plan that throws us nothing more than crumbs.
It's definitely worth backing if you live in Surrey, New Westminster, Vancouver or other areas that will see tangible benefits, but out here an endorsement of the transit referendum is limited to doing your part for the greater good.
