Líl̓wat [LIL’WAT] and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh [SQUAMISH] TERRITORY / WHISTLER, B.C. — Today, the BC Greens announced their commitment to fully funding B.C.’s transit services to ensure fast, frequent transit is available across the province, including free transit passes for youth under 25 and seniors 65+.
“B.C.’s transit riders and workers have been left with instability, their funding up in the air, with the Premier able to whisk away a major revenue source by posturing in front of a gas station,” said Emily Lowan, leader of the BC Greens and candidate for Saanich North and the Islands. “By providing stable funding to deliver fast, frequent service, we’ll remove one of the biggest barriers communities face in delivering transit people can rely on. We’ll also provide free transit passes for youth and seniors, to ensure those who need access to transit most aren’t held back by the affordability crisis.”
Jeremy Valeriote, candidate for West Vancouver-Sea-to-Sky spoke on delivering transit in his riding specifically: “bringing transit to the Sea-to-Sky is a no-brainer. Constituents have been asking for years and it costs very little to get operational, but the provincial government has thrown up roadblock after roadblock. Even within regional governance that is aligned and focused on this issue, working with the BC NDP has made this impossible. The people of West Vancouver-Sea-to-Sky deserve a government that fights for them, and that’s what I’ll do back in the Legislature.”
The BC Greens also announced their plan to develop passenger rail and expand ferry services, to ensure the entire province is connected.
“B.C. has rail corridors, it has the capacity to run more ferries,” said Lowan. “Yet due to consistent delays and unsustainable funding, these essential services have been neglected. The BC Greens will make sure communities, workers, and families from across B.C. can stay connected, through supporting a future for our rail corridors, building and maintaining ferries locally, and supporting the union workers we’ll need to connect B.C.”
The BC Greens will:
- On transit:
- Implement free, fast, frequent public transit, starting with making transit fast and frequent. This will prioritize doubling the number of buses on the roads within the first term. We will approach free transit in a phased approach, starting with youth aged under 25 and for seniors 65 and over. We will build onto free transit once infrastructure improvements are made, funding stabilizes, and fast, frequent transit is established.
- Have buses on the roads in the Sea-to-Sky within the first year.
- On ferries:
- Work with the Federal Government to increase funding, and achieve parity with Atlantic Canada. We will review the governance model and long-term funding arrangements as part of this work.
- Expand infrastructure at terminals and docks, including planning for electric ferries.
- Build and maintain ships locally, to boost the local economy and provide good union work
- On rail:
- Provide support to the BC Rail Corridor Alliance, including financial support for an engineering assessment, economic study, and operations funding.
- Protect the rail corridor as an integrated public transportation asset while opportunities for active transportation, recreation and tourism are evaluated.
- Work with First Nations and the Island Corridor Foundation to determine next steps for Vancouver Island rail.
Click here to read our Transit and Transportation Policy Brief.
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Media contact
Prym Goodacre, Media & Campaigns Officer
+778 650 0597
newsroom@bcgreens.ca