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_head_office.jpg) TransLink's head office in New Westminster | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | January 1, 1998 |
| Preceding agency |
|
| Jurisdiction | Metro Vancouver |
| Headquarters | 400 – 287 Nelson's Court New Westminster, BC V3L 0E7[1] |
| Employees | 7,991[2] |
| Annual budget | $2.03 billion for 2022[3] |
| Minister responsible |
|
| Agency executive |
|
| Website | www |
TransLink, formally the South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority and previously the Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority, is the statutory authority[6] responsible for the regional transportation network of Metro Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada, including public transport, major roads and bridges. Its main operating facilities are located in the city of New Westminster.
TransLink was created in 1998 as the Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority (GVTA) and was fully implemented in April 1999 by the Government of British Columbia to replace BC Transit in the Greater Vancouver Regional District and assume many transportation responsibilities previously held by the provincial government. TransLink is responsible for various modes of transportation in the Metro Vancouver region as well as the West Coast Express, which extends into the Fraser Valley Regional District (FVRD). On November 29, 2007, the province of British Columbia approved legislation changing the governance structure and official name of the organization.
History
2007 reorganization
 | This section needs to be updated. (December 2017) |
On March 8, 2007, BC Minister of Transportation Kevin Falcon announced a restructuring of TransLink. Major changes include new revenue-generating measures, a restructuring of the executive of the body, and increases in the areas under TransLink's jurisdiction.[7][8]
The reorganization of TransLink proposed the following changes:[8]
- The old board will be replaced by a Council of Mayors from the municipalities in the area served by TransLink, a board of non-political experts, and a regional transportation commissioner appointed by the Council of Mayors.
- The provincial government will set the regional transportation vision.
- The Board will guide the operation of TransLink as per the 3- and 10-year transportation plans. It will also develop the options for 3- and 10-year plans; one option will be a base option that maintains the status quo.
- The Council of Mayors will vote on which 3- and 10-year transportation plan options to adopt. Mayors will receive one vote per 20,000 people or portion thereof in their jurisdiction.
- The TransLink independent commissioner will ensure that TransLink's 3- and 10-year transportation plans are consistent with the regional transportation vision set by the provincial government.
- TransLink's jurisdiction is initially planned to be expanded to include Mission, Abbotsford, and Squamish. In the long term, this may be further expanded to include the area along the Sea-to-Sky Highway as far north as Pemberton and east to Hope.
- TransLink will be funded using an approximate ratio of 1/3 of revenue from fuel taxes, 1/3 of revenue from property taxes, and 1/3 of revenue from other non-government sources (e.g., fares, advertising, property development).
- TransLink will hold the power to increase funding from fuel tax from 12 cents per litre (55 cents per Imp gal or 45 cents per US gal) to 15 cents per litre (68 cents per Imp gal or 57 cents per US gal). In 2012, the rate was increased to 17 cents.[9]
- TransLink will increase funding by raising property taxes, parking sales taxes, and other sources of revenue (e.g., fares, property development).
- TransLink will eliminate the parking tax (different from parking sales tax) and the BC Hydro transportation levy.
- AirCare will be removed from TransLink's authority and will become the responsibility of Metro Vancouver.
- The provincial government will continue to contribute toward rapid transit projects, but funding will be contingent on municipalities increasing population densities around planned rapid transit stations.
Falcon had called the old board "dysfunctional",[8] saying that board members were focused on the interests of their own municipalities instead of the broader interests of the region.[10] According to Falcon, the board of directors had "no ability there to develop the skill-set to understand major, multi-billion projects."[10] British Columbia New Democratic Party critic David Chudnovsky responded that the reorganization was "ludicrous" and that its purpose was "to get power away from our elected municipal politicians because once in a while they disagree with the aggressive privatization agenda of Mr. Falcon".[8] Chudnovsky was also worried about the consequences of a property development slowdown.
On April 26, 2007, the provincial government introduced legislation to restructure TransLink. The proposed successor body was to be known as the South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority.[11] The legislation received Royal Assent on November 29, 2007, and came into effect on January 1, 2008, with some parts of the organization, like the Council of Mayors, beginning functions the day after the legislation was approved.[12][13]
On March 19, 2008, the Vancouver Sun reported that TransLink was launching a real estate division that could produce over $1.5 billion in revenue over the ensuing ten years.[14]
NDP critic Maurine Karagianis introduced a private member's bill dubbed the "TransLink Openness Act".[15]
2015 plebiscite
In 2015, residents of Metro Vancouver were asked to vote in a mail-in plebiscite on a proposal to adopt a new 0.5 percent sales tax to fund improvements in transit infrastructure, and completion of current TransLink projects. Ballots were mailed in March, and had to be returned by 8:00 pm on May 29, 2015.
The tax was designed to generate annual revenue of $250 million to help fund an $8 billion, 10-year transit plan including the following projects:
- Adding bus service and 11 new B-Line rapid bus routes
- Increasing service on SkyTrain, SeaBus, and West Coast Express
- Maintaining and upgrading of major roads
- Building a new Pattullo Bridge
- Building LRT connecting Surrey Centre with Guildford, Newton, and Langley
- Extending the Millennium Line along Broadway in Vancouver
- Extending cycling and pedestrian walkway networks[16]
The tax was supported by environmental groups, student groups and nearly every local government. Opposition to the tax was headed by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation who drew the public's attention to purported misuse of funds by TransLink.[17] Supporters countered with other analyses that showed TransLink to be ranked first by cost per service hour, service hours per $1 million and service hours per capita.[18] The Yes campaign outspent the No campaign by $5.8 million to $40,000. Surveys conducted by Insights West showed the Yes side ahead in December 2014, but support dropped to 37 per cent the week before the ballots were mailed.[19] After the failure of the plebiscite, several executives at TransLink were removed from their positions.[20]
Results
| Response | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| No | 467,032 | 61.68 |
| Yes | 290,151 | 38.32 |
| Total valid votes | 757,183 | 100.00 |
| Invalid or blank votes | 2,513 | 0.33 |
| Turnout | 759,696 | 48.62 |
| Electorate | 1,562,386 | |
| Source: Elections BC[21] | ||
| Results by municipality | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City | Votes | Percent | ||
| Yes | No | Yes | No | |
| Bowen Island | 847 | 521 | 61.92 | 38.08 |
| Burnaby | 24,355 | 45,113 | 35.06 | 64.94 |
| Coquitlam | 14,200 | 29,120 | 32.78 | 67.22 |
| Langley City | 2,226 | 5,807 | 27.71 | 72.29 |
| Maple Ridge | 6,404 | 21,470 | 22.97 | 77.03 |
| New Westminster | 10,623 | 12,748 | 45.45 | 54.55 |
| North Vancouver City | 7,931 | 9,725 | 44.92 | 55.08 |
| Pitt Meadows | 1,762 | 4,568 | 27.84 | 72.16 |
| Port Coquitlam | 6,346 | 13,394 | 32.15 | 67.85 |
| Port Moody | 4,852 | 6,534 | 42.61 | 57.39 |
| Richmond | 16,257 | 42,615 | 27.61 | 72.39 |
| Surrey | 42,519 | 80,851 | 34.46 | 65.54 |
| Vancouver | 103,431 | 106,818 | 49.19 | 50.81 |
| White Rock | 3,139 | 4,566 | 40.74 | 59.26 |
| North Vancouver District | 14,569 | 18,093 | 44.61 | 55.39 |
| West Vancouver | 6,876 | 8,711 | 44.11 | 55.89 |
| Electoral Area A | 1,586 | 1,122 | 58.57 | 41.43 |
| Langley Township | 9,890 | 29,619 | 25.03 | 74.97 |
| Tsawwassen | 86 | 167 | 33.99 | 66.01 |
| Anmore | 303 | 497 | 37.88 | 62.13 |
| Belcarra | 158 | 145 | 52.15 | 47.85 |
| Lions Bay | 202 | 380 | 34.71 | 65.29 |
| Total votes | 290,151 | 467,032 | 38.32 | 61.68 |
| Source: Elections BC[21] | ||||
10-Year Investment Plan
After the failure of the 2015 plebiscite, TransLink developed the 10-Year Investment Plan.[22] The plan was structured to be delivered in three phases over ten years, starting in April 2017.[23]
As originally released
Phase one was scheduled to be rolled out between 2017 and 2026, and it included the launch of five new B-Lines, and service improvements on buses, SkyTrain, SeaBus, and HandyDART. TransLink planned to purchase 171 more buses, 50 new SkyTrain cars, five new West Coast Express passenger cars, and one new SeaBus vessel. It also provided funding for improved roads, cycling paths, and sidewalks.[24]
Phase two was scheduled to be rolled out between 2018 and 2027, and it included the construction of the Broadway SkyTrain extension, the construction of the Surrey–Newton–Guildford LRT, the launch of two more B-Lines, the replacement of the Pattullo Bridge, pre-construction of the Surrey–Langley LRT, and more rail and station upgrades on the existing SkyTrain network. It also included continued service improvements on buses and HandyDART, and continued funding for improved roads, cycling paths, and sidewalks.[25]
Phase three is the final delivery of the 10-Year Investment Plan, which was scheduled to be rolled out between 2020 and 2030. It included four new B-Lines, more service improvements on buses, SkyTrain, and HandyDART service. It also included the construction of the Surrey–Langley LRT as well as continued funding for improved roads, cycling paths, and sidewalks.[25]
Implementation and alterations
Phase one was approved by the Mayors' Council in November 2016; implementation began in January 2017.[26] Phase two was approved in June 2018, and phase three is scheduled for approval in 2019.[23]
In November 2018, the Surrey light rail system, including the Surrey–Newton–Guildford (SNG) route and the Surrey–Langley route, was rejected by Surrey City Council after a municipal government change that saw Doug McCallum return to the city's mayorship.[27] McCallum had campaigned on cancelling the plans for light rail and instead extending the Expo Line from King George station to Langley. This plan was approved by the Mayors' Council in principle that same month,[28] but the $1.65 billion in funding that was earmarked for the light rail project, which was intended to be repurposed to construct the extension to Langley, was determined to be insufficient to fund the entire extension, with $1.9 billion more needed to complete the project.[29] The existing funding would only extend the line 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) to Fleetwood in Surrey and add four new stations, terminating at 166th Street. In July 2019, the Mayors' Council voted to extend the Expo Line to Fleetwood using these existing funds.[30] The council also voted to proceed with preparing a detailed business case for the full Surrey–Langley SkyTrain extension, which was expected to be completed by early 2020. Revenue service to Fleetwood was projected to start in late 2025; however, the project has been postponed to 2028.[31]
