TransLink levy axed

by Matthew Sylvain

VANCOUVER, B.C. – The NDP government of British Columbia has refused to sign off on a controversial plan that would have slapped commercial vehicles running in the Greater Vancouver Area with levies ranging from $120 to $250.

The plan was put forward by TransLink, the provincial body responsible for solving the problems of Vancouver’s underused public transit and overused roadways.

TransLink’s initiative, which would have placed levies on every motor vehicle registered in B.C.’s Lower Mainland (based on vehicle-weight and insurance-class), received the approval of the Greater Vancouver Regional Council early in the new year.

The tax would have supported TransLink’s $450-million Strategic Transportation Plan (STP), a model to fund road improvements and funnel passengers into the mass-transit system.

“The premier’s decision not to sign the order-in-council is essentially a function of the government’s position that TransLink has the resources,” says Shari Graydon, a spokesperson for Premier Ujjal Dosanjh.

The STP was vigorously opposed by both the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) and the B.C. Trucking Association (BCTA).

“Clearly, our reaction is that we are very pleased,” says BCTA president and chief executive officer, Paul Landry. “Our purpose wasn’t just to kill what was being proposed. We also had in mind that we needed something new.” n


Have your say


This is a moderated forum. Comments will no longer be published unless they are accompanied by a first and last name and a verifiable email address. (Today's Trucking will not publish or share the email address.) Profane language and content deemed to be libelous, racist, or threatening in nature will not be published under any circumstances.

*