Close X
Wednesday, December 4, 2024
ADVT 
National

Metro Vancouver mayors say they need billions of dollars from feds to grow transit

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 23 Nov, 2023 03:24 PM
  • Metro Vancouver mayors say they need billions of dollars from feds to grow transit

Metro Vancouver mayors say they need billions of dollars over the next few years and a more reliable funding model from the federal government in order to improve transit. 

Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West, chair of the Mayors’ Council, says they have agreed on a plan to expand transit services to accommodate for population growth and put affordable housing within reach of transit. 

The mayors have submitted a multibillion-dollar wish list to the federal government before the spring budget that includes $375 million to expand the bus fleet, $1.4 billion for additional bus depot capacity, up to $300 million for rapid transit and millions more in other improvements. 

West says to reduce overcrowding and allow for substantial service expansion, they need both federal and provincial funding commitments no later than mid-2024. 

The council says in a statement that TransLink is facing financial challenges, with services "essentially frozen" at 2019 levels, while the region's population has grown by almost 200,000 since then. 

The council is also calling on the federal minister of finance to join with them and the province in developing a new funding model for Translink, which would include an annual cost bump of at least five per cent to the permanent transit fund. 

MORE National ARTICLES

'Bunch of idiots': Victim relatives query psychiatric releases, lawyers urge caution

'Bunch of idiots': Victim relatives query psychiatric releases, lawyers urge caution
Rebecca Mayrhofer said she felt "100 per cent frustrated" when she heard about a triple stabbing in Vancouver's Chinatown on the weekend, that police allege was committed by a man on day release from psychiatric detention. But she wasn’t surprised.

'Bunch of idiots': Victim relatives query psychiatric releases, lawyers urge caution

Victim 'punched' at New West SkyTrain

Victim 'punched' at New West SkyTrain
Police in New Westminster say they're on the lookout for a suspect in an alleged assault that occurred at the New Westminster SkyTrain Station this morning. New Westminster Police say the victim was punched by a stranger and knocked to the ground at the top of the escalators at the station's entrance on Eighth Street. 

Victim 'punched' at New West SkyTrain

Shooting suspect arrest:Richmond RCMP

Shooting suspect arrest:Richmond RCMP
R-C-M-P in Richmond say they have arrested a man who fired several shots from the window of a ride-share vehicle in Richmond. A statement from Richmond Mounties says the man was picked up yesterday in Surrey, but it doesn't say whether charges have been laid, although it confirms the investigation remains active.

Shooting suspect arrest:Richmond RCMP

Aggravated assault charges for Chinatown stabbing suspect

Aggravated assault charges for Chinatown stabbing suspect
The man accused of stabbing three people during a festival in Vancouver's Chinatown last Sunday has appeared in provincial court in Vancouver, charged with three counts of aggravated assault. Sixty-four-year-old Blair Donnelly was wearing a red prison-type jump suit when he appeared this morning via video link from the Forensic Psychiatric Hospital where he remains in custody.

Aggravated assault charges for Chinatown stabbing suspect

Police identify both victims, elderly suspect in Chilliwack shootings

Police identify both victims, elderly suspect in Chilliwack shootings
Homicide detectives have identified two people found dead in a home in rural Chilliwack on Wednesday and say an elderly suspect has been charged. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says 58-year-old John Kavaloff and 67-year-old Valerie Smith were found in the home as officers responded to reports of gunfire.

Police identify both victims, elderly suspect in Chilliwack shootings

Environment Canada extends hurricane watch to Halifax as Lee creeps closer

Environment Canada extends hurricane watch to Halifax as Lee creeps closer
Boats were being pulled out of the water in Nova Scotia Friday as forecasters warned hurricane Lee could soon bring damaging winds, large waves, flooding and power outages. Jennifer Chandler, commodore at the Chester Yacht Club, said she and her team have been working for days to prepare for what she anticipates will be a "significant storm." 

Environment Canada extends hurricane watch to Halifax as Lee creeps closer