Opponents of Mayors' Transportation Plan using wrong numbers

It’s one thing to have a discussion about the pros and cons of a proposal based on the facts. It's another, when one side isn't being honest.

The problem with the discussion around whether citizens in Metro Vancouver should vote to increase the PST by 0.5% to pay for $7.5 billion in transit and transportation improvements is that, while the proponents of the plan must stick to the facts, the opponents of the plan are twisting the truth and actually using untruthful information.

The opponents of the mayors’ plan to improve transit in our region are using fear in a bid to scare people into voting against this plan. One of the ways they are doing this is by telling people that the plan will require each and every household in Metro Vancouver to pay $258 per year. This is simply not the case.

The opponents divided the $250 million per year required to fund the plan by the 967,948 households in Metro Vancouver to arrive at their figure. How PST works in BC is more nuanced.

PST is paid for by businesses, visitors, and residents. The amount of money that a person would contribute to fund the mayors’ plan is proportionate to their income.

Average PST increase paid by households in Metro Vancouver if transit plebiscite passes. Select table to enlarge.

In Langley City, the median household income is $50,231 and the average income is $61,288. Langley City households would pay an average of $100 per year.

Surrey’s household median income is $67,702 and the average income is $82,780. Households in Surrey would on average pay between $100 and $116 per year.

The median household income in the Township of Langley is $76,947 and the average income is $91,875. Most households in the Township would pay on average between $116 and $166 per year.

While people in Metro Vancouver will be paying more PST, they will actually come out ahead. Investing in improving transit and transportation will saving people time which they can spend with their family and friends. It will also allow many families to reduce automobile costs, saving anywhere from several hundred to thousands of dollars per year.

City of Langley to launch Homelessness Task Force

Being the compact, urban centre of Langley, the City of Langley is home to many of the support services needed to help people who are dealing with issues of poverty, substance abuse, and domestic violence in both the City and Township of Langley.

The City of Langley is also home to the only homeless shelter in Langley, and has a higher concentration of lower-incoming housing than the Township of Langley. Because Langley City is an accessible, walkable community, it is also home to a larger population of seniors than other communities. Some of these seniors live in poverty, and some are homeless.

It should come as no surprise that when people are marginalized, and a community doesn’t have all the resources needed to address the complex issues surrounding marginalization, crime rates go up. Police officers start to become the social workers of the community.

As I posted about last week, the policing budget in the City of Langley has ballooned in the last decade or so. Police should not be the social workers of our community; a comprehensive, inclusive plan needs to be developed that addresses dealing with the root causes of poverty and marginalization in the community.

This is why I’m happy that the City of Langley is proceeding with the creation of a Homelessness Task Force. The task force will study this complex issue, and make recommendations on how to address this multifaceted issue.

Helping to bring people out of homeless, including seniors, will take the support of all levels of government and non-profit community groups.

With this is mind, I was a bit shocked to see that, when reading the minutes of the January 26 City of Langley Council meeting, newly elected “Councillor van den Broek stated she does not support the expenditure of $35,000 to determine what the problem is.”

Getting a complete picture and an understanding of the issues around homeless, and what can be done to lift people out of poverty, is critical if the City hopes to address this issue.

Lifting people out of poverty creates a heather, more productive community. It will also reduce policing costs.

At the same time, the City of Langley is also moving forward with a “more grass-roots” Community Crime Prevention Task Force. It will be interesting to see what their recommendations will be.

New Westminster SkyTrain Station to get face lift and upgrades

Over the past several years, TransLink has been busy upgrading the Expo Line as part of its OnTrack state-of-good repair program.

Other OnTrack projects include the upgrading of Main Street-Science World SkyTrain Station, and the replacement of all the power rails on the Expo Line. These projects are currently under construction. New Westminster SkyTrain station is about to be upgraded as part of the OnTrack program.

The New Westminster SkyTrain Station does not meet current accessibility standards, and needs to be upgraded to improve passenger flow.

If you’ve been to New Westminster SkyTrain Station recently, you’ve notice that it is in the middle of a major mixed-use project. The station is partially integrated into that project today; the proposed upgrades will fully integrated it with the mixed-use project.

The proposed set of upgrades will also enhances the safety, security, and comfort of people at the station. TransLink is holding an online open house about the proposed set of upgrades. I thought I’d share some of the pictures which show the proposed set of improvements.

Inbound Platform looking from Carnarvon Courtyard. Select image to enlarge.

Platform Renovation. Select image to enlarge.

Proposed 8th Street Entrance. Select image to enlarge.

Proposed Concourse Level. Select image to enlarge.

You can submit your feedback about the proposed upgrades to New Westminster SkyTrian Station online until February 11th.

Commercial-Broadway, Joyce-Collingwood, Metrotown, and Surrey Central are all slated to be upgraded. These upgrades are being funding by $124 million in federal and provincial dollars. TransLink will be paying for the remainder of the upgrade costs.

0.5% Transit Tax will be merged with PST if approved: no new paperworkor costly POS upgrades for small business

Small business owners in Langley had two major concerns about the proposed 0.5% sale tax increase to fund much need transit and transportation improvements in the region, South of Fraser, and in Langley.

The first major concern was that it would cause shoppers to head to Abbotsford or to the US for goods and services. Many small business owners stopped competing with the big box retail years ago, instead focusing on providing great customer service, at accessible locations, based on local knowledge. None the less, big box retail and small businesses owners alike do not need to be concerned about the proposed 0.5% sales tax causing shoppers to go to Abbotsford or the US border.

As I posted about a few weeks ago, research shows that the 0.5% tax difference between Abbotsford and Metro Vancouver would have a statistically insignificant impact on retail sales, even in communities like Aldergrove.

Factoring in the time and transportation cost savings, people in Metro Vancouver will actually have more money in their pockets to spend a local retailers, if they vote yes.

When it comes to the US border, here is some food for thought. The Canadian dollar’s value has been rising since 2002. At the same time, cross border shopping has increased. In 2002, PST was 7.5% and GST was 7%. Sales tax rates in BC have been going down ever since. PST is now 7% while GST is now 5% today.

The last remaining concern small businesses owner in Langley had was that the new 0.5% “Metro Vancouver Congestion Improvement Tax” would require expensive point of sales system upgrades while creating a whole new accounting headache.

Yesterday afternoon, the provincial government announced that the 0.5% sales tax increase will be “as seamless and cost effective as possible for Metro Vancouver businesses and consumers. To achieve this objective, the province would enable this tax to be administered as an addition to the existing provincial sales tax (PST) within the region. For further clarification, this means that consumers would see a combined PST and MCIT totalling 7.5% at the point of sale. We would not require businesses to separately identify the MCIT on receipts or invoices. The revenues collected would be subject to independent audits and annual reviews.”

You can download the full letter. This is good news for small business owners who will only need to change the PST tax rate on their tills to 7.5%. No costly point of sales system upgrade needed, and no new paperwork.

This is consistent with the provincial government’s mandate that the proposed new funding source for transit be affordable for businesses and families.

Light rail to Langley City, rapid bus service on 200th Street, more buses throughout the rest Langley, and more money for roads, all while supporting the growth of small business. Voting “Yes” in the upcoming plebiscite really is a win, win.