TRANSLINK has been sailing some choppy waters since the revelation that its new $25million SeaBus won't be built in B.C. A bid from North Vancouver's Allied Shipbuilders was recently rejected by the transportation authority in favour of a contract with a Dutch shipbuilding company.
Labour leaders have voiced their outrage while politicians have remained markedly silent on the issue.
It wasn't long ago that B.C. politicians were singing the praises of our shipyards to boost the chances of a large federal contract. The province lobbied hard on behalf of the industry and promised money for training.
That TransLink, a provincial creation, should now turn its back on the local industry seems odd given all three SeaBuses were built in B.C., the last one a mere three years ago. We have the capacity to do the work.
This decision is strictly about money. For cash-strapped TransLink, a contract that's $2 million cheaper is an obvious choice, especially when it's hard pressed to pay for its own operations. Creating jobs for shipbuilders isn't in TransLink's mandate.
But should it be? No one wants to return to the days of the fast cats, when wild cost overruns on public shipbuilding contracts were justified by political goals. Still, there's an argument to be made that an opportunity was lost here for public money to do greater good.
That will only be possible, however, if the province steps up to a bigger role in funding TransLink.
