BC FORUM - news release recirculated from the BC Federation of Labour

Horgan plan will break transportation gridlock in Lower Mainland

Download the news release here.

September 16, 2016

Vancouver - The BC Federation of Labour has given the thumbs up to NDP Leader John Horgan’s pledge to build public transit in the Lower Mainland.

“We’ve endured transportation grid lock in the region for far too long because of Premier Clark and the choices she’s made and the partisan political games she’s played,” says Federation President Irene Lanzinger.

“The NDP proposal is a sound plan that ticks a lot of boxes,” says Lanzinger. “It will create thousands of good paying jobs. It’s good for the environment because it will get cars off the road and reduce carbon emissions. And it will be good for workers because it will reduce commute times with more buses and rapid transit options.”

As part of his September 15 pledge, Horgan committed that an NDP government would break the funding impass that’s stalled the expansion of transit by increasing the share of costs that the province would cover. It’s a move that will break the funding logjam among the federal, provincial, and municipal governments that has made progress impossible.

He also committed to cleaning up the mess the BC Liberals created at TransLink by putting Lower Mainland communities back in control of local transportation decision-making.