Langley Will Still Lose Under New Translink

Well our previous Translink Director, Mayor Kurt Alberts, got Langley absolutely nothing from Translink in his almost two year tenure. Nada! Under the new Translink governance model crafted by ex Langley City Mayor, Marlene Grinnell, as a consultant to provincial Transpo Minister Falcon we will probably get even less. That's right, nada plus!

1. On top of that expect an immediate 3 cents a liter tax hike and a 1 to 2 % property tax hike assessment each year over the next 10 years!
2. Also bus fare hikes of 1/2 to 1 % a year each year over 14 years.
3. There is even the real possibility that trying to save 10 to 15 cents a liter by gasing up in Abbotsford will end if the Translink fuel tax is extended further east into the fraser valley as the new Translink governed area may extend from Pemberton down south through the GVRD and east to Chilliwack!
4. Translink will be given power to override Langley's municipal zoning jurisdiction on projects!
5. The hated parking stall tax and residential hydro levy will be eliminated.

The appointed new board, similar to health regions, will be totally controlled by the provincial government and there will be an unmanageable advisory council of about 30 mayors who will only meet 4 times a year. LFP sees this as pure tokenism to try to get some buy in from these mayors. This big a group will never agree to anything. But maybe that's the plan! Making matters worse, even this group will be weighted by population giving more clout to Burnaby and Vancouver! In other words Langley is screwed by ever increasing taxes across the board and will probably get no more substantial transit increases for decades to come. So much for elected representation on Translink! See today's Sun for full details....