CKNW Editorial
for May 29, 2000

Build it and they will come was the theme of William Kinsella’s Shoeless Joe made into the classic film A Field of Dreams. This would be good advice for Translink which is an extension of the greater Vancouver Regional District which is made up of councilors from the various communities that make what we know and love as Greater Vancouver. As predicted, the GVRD is going on a huge tax grab which will see a financial impost on all cars, a tripling of taxes on Parking lots and eventually a tax on so-called free parking lots adjacent to your favourite Shopping Center. This is, we’re told, so that people will pay a fair share of transit costs.

But the scheme is badly flawed and the authorities should be told that we won’t sit still for it.

First off, the $75 impost is simply not fair. It doesn’t penalize people who drive into Vancouver a lot – it penalizes everyone whether they drive into Vancouver or not. It’s not a user pay tax at all because it penalizes the non user and the infrequent user as much as it penalizes me who use the city streets every day. It is hardly an incentive to use public transit since unless you sell your car, you’ll pay the penalty – for that’s what it is – irrespective of whether or not you use public transit.

It’s an unfair penalty because it hits rich and poor alike. If you take a lower middle income person where both partners need a car, it costs $150, not a small amount whereas those who live in the better suburbs will hardly notice the impost. If you are a working mother this impost may force you to sell your car and take public transit even when there is none convenient available. But it sure as hell isn’t going to get me to get rid of my car. And that leads to the unfairest part of all – those who live near Skytrain, which is to say your friends and neighbours vote NDP will at least have rapid transit – those for whom public transit is a bad joke will have to pay a levy to encourage them to do the impossible – take a bus or a train. Therefore this penalty does not encourage the use of public transit, indeed discourages it since if you’ve paid the penalty you might as well take the car as the bus and it hits everyone, irrespective of use of the roads or their ability to pay, equally.

The increased taxes on parking lots, and the first time taxes on "free parking lots" will again hit the little guy and gal hardest. For those like me, it will be an irritant but one I can afford. For those, especially women who take a car downtown because it’s not safe to be alone at the hours they must work, it will be an unjust penalty. To the mom, single or otherwise who needs the car to shop and can’t do it on public transit, with small kids in tow, this again is an unfair impost and one which is felt much more keenly than by the better off.

The worst of all this is that there is no decent, fast public transit for tens of thousands of families who are being penalized for a system which will never, ever come to them.

You will notice, I’m sure, that George Puil and Co have not talked about reviving the interurban through the Arbutus corridor because that would be fatal politically. If, however, such a track ran through East Vancouver one suspects that Mr Puil would not be so bashful. The last time he and I spoke he told me that the interurban to Richmond along the Arbutus Corridor wouldn’t work because it doesn’t end up anywhere near the hospital where, Mr Puil assures me, the vast majority of the riders work. Even assuming this dubious contention to be true, the Interurban does stop at Broadway and with an energetic look at the bus schedule those who work at VGH would be catered to.

No, this is a bad deal all around. I see that Councilor Marlene Grinnell says that in the Fall there will be consultation. It is more than consultation that’s necessary here – it’s a vote … called a referendum.

What are you afraid of, oh unelected directors of Translink and members of the GVRD? That perhaps the people don’t like your plan? But isn’t that what democracy is all about?

George Puil is too old mentally ever to seek re-election but many of you will. And when that time comes 2 ½ years from now, voters will remember what you thought of democracy when it came to bringing in taxation without elected representation.

Given the favour of God we all need, I’ll be here to help folks remind you.