During the first round of election debates, a West Vancouver council candidate put forward the ultimate remedy for your morning commute: a tunnel under Burrard Inlet. While the debates have generally resulted in a healthy exchange of ideas, we've been troubled by the amount of applause elicited by some far-fetched notions for eliminating gridlock. We're all frustrated by an afternoon spent blinking at brake lights, but it doesn't make a billion-dollar transportation project any more feasible.
Residents across the North Shore should be congratulated for showing up in droves to the debates, but we encourage holding your applause until the prospective councillors and mayors explain how they'll pay for their grandiose plans.
Please don't be swayed by a candidate's passion unless it's balanced with a spirit of diplomacy. Every mayor who has been subjected to TransLink's dysfunctional, undemocratic hierarchy has doubtless entertained fantasies about holding board members by their ankles until new buses and a SkyTrain extension fall from their pockets. But tough-guy rhetoric isn't going to form the basis for any meaningful co-operation - whether it's with TransLink, Victoria or Ottawa. During the next two weeks, the North Shore's politicians will be open to questions - probably more so than at any time in the last three years or the next four.
Take advantage. Ask to see the numbers. And on Nov. 15, don't vote until you've seen the whites of their eyes.
