Frustrated municipal politicians want more say on B.C. Transit

Bill Cleverley, Times Colonist May 4, 2011 
 Municipal politicians from across the province are calling for an independent review of the way B.C. Transit operates with an eye to having more local control.  More than three dozen municipal and regional government officials have asked for a meeting with provincial Transportation Minister Blair Lekstrom "to share concerns with respect to communication, marketing, transportation planning, governance and funding."  "We feel that local governments are being left out of the loop as far as the decisions being made by B.C. Transit board of directors," said Joe Stanhope, chairman of the Regional District of Nanaimo, who wrote to Lekstrom on behalf of the municipal leaders who met in Richmond last month.  Stanhope said the province has a goal of doubling transit ridership by 2018. "What's happening is the rising costs of B.C. Transit and their management fees, while there's been minimal increase in service hours, is jeopardizing this plan," he said.  B.C. Transit is a Crown corporation that essentially acts as a contractor to various regional transit systems in the province.  Lekstrom said he was unaware of the request for the meeting and could not comment.  The local politicians are concerned that decisions concerning acquisition of fleet and property and management costs are being made by B.C. Transit without their input, even though local taxpayers are expected to pay part of the cost. The issue came to light in the capital region when Saanich Mayor Frank Leonard recently balked at a steep hike in local property taxes for transit expenses.  B.C. Transit officials argued increased road congestion and a corresponding slump in ridership was behind the $28-per-household tax hike. But Leonard said the real reason for the hike was debt costs being foisted on local property owners by the province to pay for 100 new buses it bought for the 2010 Winter Olympics.  Leonard is worried that local taxpayers could be on the hook for more hard costs with no input. At its last Victoria Regional Transit Commission meeting, Leonard asked transit staff for reports on transit property acquisitions near the new McTavish interchange and in the Royal Oak industrial park.  "They are decisions made by the board of B.C. Transit. So they have not been discussed by the local commission, even though the costs will ultimately be charged to the local commission," Leonard said.  "So basically, the users, through their fares, and taxpayers will pay roughly two thirds of the costs of these capital projects, and yet the local commission hasn't had yet a discussion of what does it cost, when and how is it being charged to us and what are we getting."

Municipalities and regional districts with concerns include: Abbotsford, the CRD, Comox Valley Regional District, Cranbrook, Fort St. John, Kelowna, Kitimat, Penticton, Prince George, Saanich, Squamish, Squamish-Lillooet Regional District, Sunshine Coast Regional District, West Kelowna, Williams Lake, Vernon, Victoria, Whistler, Nelson and the Regional District of Nanaimo.