Simon Fraser University president Andrew Petter is urging a Yes vote in the Metro Vancouver transit referendum for the sake of SFU’s future students.
“People need to think about what’s at stake in the plebiscite in human terms,” Petter said Wednesday. “If we have a situation – which we’re close to right now – where kids can’t get seats in buses, it means they won’t be able to get seats in classrooms.”
Petter said there are already huge delays for students waiting for buses that frequently pass them by full.
“If kids can’t get where they need to go on transit, they’ll probably try on the roads and that’ll mean further congestion for drivers.”
Both Petter and UBC president Arvind Gupta said their universities need effective transportation and urged a more informed debate in the referendum.
So far the No side has the advantage, propelled by accusations of waste at TransLink and opposition to the proposed 0.5 per cent regional sales tax to fund transit upgrades.
The Canadian Taxpayers Federation has been at the forefront of the No campaign and it took another jab at TransLink Wednesday by giving the transportation authority a lifetime achievement award for wasting tax dollars.
CTF B.C. director Jordan Bateman cited TransLink’s recent move to replace its CEO but keep him on the payroll while his contract runs out.
“Only TransLink could have found a way to shoehorn more tax money into its executive suite,” he said.
Bateman argues predictions of worsening congestion are fear mongering and that a No vote will force real reform at TransLink.
“It’s easy for him from his perch to take a very negative approach to this,” Petter said. “No one wants to pay more taxes – I understand that. It’s always easier to rally around one negative. And the danger here is one negative will defeat all of the positives.”
