SURREY — About 100 "yes" men gathered Wednesday morning at Surrey's city hall to urge residents to support the upcoming TransLink plebiscite.
Mayor Linda Hepner said not only does council unanimously support the "yes" vote, they have a diversity of allies, with members of the business sector, organized labour, health officials, environmental groups, academics and students all urging voters to cast a ballot in favour of the plebiscite question.
"When it comes to the merits of the plan there is no split along traditional lines," said Hepner. "There is no split due to philosophical differences. What we have here is a consensus of common sense."
The Mayors’ Council Plan calls for a 0.5 per cent regional sales tax, with proceeds to go to several key improvements to Surrey’s transportation and transit system.
Hepner, who is receiving a $50,000 salary as vice-chair of the Mayors' Council, said a yes vote is good for both Surrey and the region, which is expected to absorb one million additional people over the next 20 years. Most of those new people are expected to settle in the Surrey and South Fraser area.
"That's one million reasons to vote yes," added Hepner.
A "no" vote, according to the mayor, will lead to transit and traffic gridlock, harm the economy and will mean families spend less time together and more time stuck commuting.
Hepner said the money will allow Surrey to run more night buses, improve HandyDART service for seniors and the disabled and allow the city to develop its much vaunted Light Rail Transit (LRT) system, which Hepner promised would be up and running by 2018 during her electoral campaign.
Anita Huberman, CEO of the Surrey Board of Trade, said improvements to transportation and education will be the foundation of Surrey's growth.
"The infrastructure projects planned for Surrey such as light rail, the Pattullo bridge, buses and road improvements are urgently needed for our rapidly growing population of about 1,200 people a month," she said.
Calling it an "opportunity ballot," Huberman said Surrey can "finally receive" the transportation investments needed to reduce congestion and grow business.
"We know that when businesses relocate or think about starting a business in Surrey, they look at transit and transportation corridors," she said, adding the improvements will mean students can better access schools, seniors can visit health-care providers and low-income earners will no longer need a car to access employment opportunities.
A few people took to Twitter to share their disagreement with the plebiscite question on the #SurreyBC hashtag.
FWIW #surreybc, the same mayor & council who dropped a hefty tax increase w/ new fees,are now asking you to vote YES to the #transittax.
— Laila Yuile (@lailayuile) February 11, 2015
As @CityofSurrey & @yesfortransit tout yes for LRT - reminder even if yes wins -still no $ for #LRT in #surreybc pic.twitter.com/Fvq8BjNzI0
— Schtev (@schtev69) February 11, 2015
The rally came just hours before TransLink CEO Ian Jarvis announced he's stepping down following dogged controversy over $83,700 in bonuses he received in 2013. Jarvis, who has served TransLink since 1999 and as CEO since 2009, will act an advisor to the board until his contract expires in June 2016. He will continue to receive his full $422,000 salary during that time.
Interim CEO Doug Allen, who most recently served as president and Chief Executive Officer of InTransit BC, will receive a whopping $35,000 a month until a permanent replacement is found.