Dear Editor:
So Mayor Richard Walton thinks that a new bus terminal, a third SeaBus and more buses for North Vancouver are urgent priorities and that the main problem is finding funding for them? That is an outrageous statement.
Here's why: under the TransLink 10 Year Plan adopted in 2004 the North Shore municipalities' taxpayers were to be taxed $ 250 million through a TransLink property tax for which we would receive only $ 45 million of new services. Our $45 million was to be roughly one-third for a new bus depot, one-third for a third SeaBus with the improved schedule that third SeaBus would bring and one-third for more buses. (Sound familiar?) The advocates for the new levy were quite specific that these were to be for new services and not replacement of existing infrastructure. Back in 2004 I did an analysis of these numbers and showed them to the late councillor Ernie Crist who confirmed that I correctlyunderstood what was then the TransLink proposal.
Assuming the News is correctly reporting the mayor's words, the mayor intends to lobby TransLink to give us the privilege of paying even more for services, which definitely are much needed services for the North Shore. This ignores that North Shore taxpayers have already paid five-fold for these services through the property tax levy. Even if these numbers projected in 2004 are out by 15-20 per cent what is undeniable is that we havealready more than paid for these services which we have not received.
What I understand from the mayor's comments is that TransLink has moved our property tax levy dollars into general revenue and spent them and if we aregoing to get what we have paid for we will have to pay for them all over again now.
As head of the TransLink Mayor's Council it's his job to fight for our share of the TransLink pie - not to surrender without a fight and then tell us we have topay all over again for what we have already more than once paid for.It is high time North Shore taxpayers got fair value for money from Translink.
Lyle Craver
North Vancouver
