With just one week to go, less than 42 per cent of Lower Mainland residents have bothered to mail in their TransLink plebiscite ballots. That’s pretty sad given how little effort it takes to put an envelope in a box and how the debate has been covered ad nauseum these last months.
It’s now too late to request a ballot but it’s not too late to dig yours out of the heap of papers ready to be recycled, fill it out and drop it off in person at a plebiscite office. We have one at Capilano Mall and it’s open until 8 p.m. on May 29. Canada Post doesn’t recommend sending your ballot in by mail at this point.
The region is projected to grow by another million people. That’s not up for a vote. We’ve got to figure out a way to move those people (in addition to ourselves) around and how to pay for it.
The proposed 0.5 per cent sales tax — or $150 to $250 per year from the average household — is meant to cover our portion of the $7.5-billion cost.
All that’s being asked is whether we approve of this method of funding an expansion of the system, which almost everyone agrees needs expanding. The only other option is a hike in property taxes.
Unfortunately, much of the debate has been badly off track and some people seem to think this is a referendum on TransLink governance, population growth, fare gates and other things not on the ballot.
Whether you’re voting Yes or No, we hope you’re doing it for the right reasons. Regardless of the outcome when the results are released in a few weeks, we’re all in the same SeaBus together.
