Lək̓ʔəŋən [LEKWUNGEN] TERRITORY / VICTORIA, B.C. — “We can create thousands of jobs and connect BC’s communities through passenger rail,” said Emily Lowan, leader of the BC Green Party, in response to BC’s workers losing 20,000 jobs in February. “Investment in affordable transit is an investment in BC’s workers.
In British Columbia, employment fell by 20,000 (-0.7%) in February. The cost-of-living crisis and looming recession need to be treated as the emergency they are — part of the government’s response must be creating good, union jobs and building affordable transit.
“We already have many of the tracks and corridors we need, it’s just a matter of putting British Columbians to work to build and operate the affordable passenger rail that unions and communities have been asking for,” said Lowan. “Working families are being cut off from the rest of their province, they deserve an affordable solution for transit.”
Lowan is calling for a large-scale passenger rail strategy, in partnership with First Nations, on Vancouver Island through the Island Corridor, in the Sea-to-Sky, Metro Vancouver, and Fraser Valley regions in line with the Mountain Valley Institute’s proposal, and from Prince George to Vancouver through revitalizing the Cariboo Prospector route — paid for by taxing BC’s ultra-wealthy and largest corporations.
Increased tourism alone would generate significant revenue for the province: data shows that there is growing demand for travel by rail, and that train travelers spend 72% more than non-train travelers. This proposal would create thousands of good, union jobs, offer communities affordable transportation, and massively boost BC’s economy.
“Widespread, affordable, passenger trains benefit every single British Columbian,” said Lowan. “Workers see the escalating cost-of-living and lack of stable work as emergencies, and it’s time our government did too.”
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