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Metro Mayors urge public to pressure feds, province for more cash for transit expansion

Surrey mayor says transit system can鈥檛 keep up with region鈥檚 demand 鈥榓s it grows at a record pace, putting further pressures on affordability鈥
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Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke and her TransLink Mayors鈥 Council colleagues lobby the public to lobby senior levels of government for more money to pay for transit expansions in this region during a presser at the Surrey Central Bus Loop on Jan. 10, 2024. (Photo: Tom Zytaruk)

The TransLink Mayors鈥 Council staged a presser Wednesday in Surrey aimed at encouraging Metro Vancouver residents to help to put the squeeze on the federal and provincial government to fund what it says is urgent transit expansion in this region.

Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke and PoCo Mayor Brad West, chairman of the mayors鈥 council, made their pitch at the Surrey Central Bus Loop, launching a campaign that will see ads posted at SkyTrain stations, bus stops and on social media with a link through which members of the public can lobby MPS and MLAs for more infrastructure by entering their email and postal code. The letter reads: 鈥淎s a Metro Vancouver resident, I鈥檓 concerned that our region doesn鈥檛 have enough public transit to serve our growing communities鈥f we don鈥檛 act now, thousands of people will be left behind by full buses every day and new housing will be left unserved鈥 urge you in your role as an elected official to ensure the necessary commitments are made 鈥 now 鈥 to protect public transit as an essential service and keep our economy and residents moving.鈥

West said the senior levels of government 鈥渘eed to hear from the people of Metro Vancouver. Tell the federal government it鈥檚 time for them to step up.

West told the Now-Leader that the council has had 鈥減roductive鈥 conversations with senior levels of government but in this 鈥渃ritical phase鈥 having the public 鈥渃ome on board鈥 now 鈥渞eally sends a strong message to the provincial and federal government that this has to be a priority, that this is tied to so many of the different goals that they have stated around housing affordability, around the climate, this is the key that underpins all of that.鈥

The petition can be found at and there will be a QR code throughout the public transit system as well.

鈥淲hen you talk to the federal and provincial government everyone aligns on these objectives, everyone aligns on these goals, but there鈥檚 a lot of competing priorities and I understand that and I think all of our colleagues understand that. The point here is we need the public to weigh in. The public has to make clear to the federal and provincial government that this is a priority for this region because it impacts the quality of life for the people of Metro Vancouver in such a profound way,鈥 West said. 鈥淚 think the people of this region get it. They鈥檝e been telling us, and we鈥檝e been listening, we鈥檝e heard them, we agree, we鈥檝e been doing our part, now it鈥檚 time for the provincial and federal government to do their part.鈥

Locke said the transit system cannot keep up with the region鈥檚 demand 鈥渁s it grows at a record pace, putting further pressures on affordability.

鈥淲e are here to call on the federal and provincial governments to commit the funding that is urgently, urgently needed to deliver the critical transit investment that our growing region requires,鈥 she said. 鈥淗ere in Surrey, transit is overloaded and overcrowded. It is all to common to see massive crowds at our bus loops, this one in particular.鈥

Meantime, the Surrey Board of Trade has called on the provincial government to use the revenue raised from the carbon tax to fund public transit.

During the Lower Mainland鈥檚 Mayors鈥 Council meeting on Oct. 26 TransLink disclosed its 鈥渄aunting鈥 $4.7 billion deficit, which Surrey Board of Trade CEO Anita Huberman said is bad news for Surrey鈥檚 economy and workforce particularly considering the area is already 鈥渟everely under-served鈥 by public transit.

On Nov. 23 TransLink issued a press release indicating the mayors鈥 council has gone cap in hand to the Trudeau government, prior to the 2024-25 federal budget, for support in building three new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) projects in this region to be completed by 2027, with one of them in Surrey, at an estimated cost of up to $300 million each. Surrey鈥檚 BRT aims to connect the city centre with White Rock, via what TransLink identifies as the King George Boulevard corridor.



About the Author: Tom Zytaruk

I write unvarnished opinion columns and unbiased news reports for the Surrey Now-Leader.
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