METRO VANCOUVER - Transportation Minister Todd Stone has announced the province has agreed to hold the transit referendum anytime between November 2014 and June 2015.
The move allows for the referendum to now be held apart from the 2014 local government elections, something mayors all over Metro Vancouver had argued against.However, in order for the referendum to be moved, Stone is asking the mayors' council to come back with a shared regional vision by the end of June of this year. If that vision requires funds being sourced from new means, such as added taxes, then the referendum will go ahead, said Stone."The region's mayors need to form a clear and detailed vision with specific priorities, project phasing and costs," said Stone. "The decision needs to be affordable for taxpayers, fair for communities and must secure the movement of goods and people for generations to come."Stone was quick to point out that no new funding would be allowed to come from the system itself, meaning increasing fares is not an option."New funding must be generated in the region and no new funding is to be subsidized by the transportation network," he said.But if the mayors are unable to come up with a viable strategy by this June, Stone said the referendum would be pushed until the local government elections in 2017 and that cost might not be covered by the province.Stone also announced that the province will be introducing legislation that would see the mayors' council wield more power, similar to what they had prior to 2007."They need the authority to make the decisions they need to make," he said."They will have the ability to establish TransLink's long-term strategies as well as to approve its plans and projects," said Stone."I'm proposing the mayors' council would help set remuneration for TransLink's board and executives (as well as) fare adjustments, oversight of customer satisfaction, complaint processes and oversight of sale of major assets."