Hands in our pockets

Translink. What are the first three words which come to mind when I say this? If you're anything like me, you probably thought of inefficient, mismanaged, and secretive.

Or you're probably a normal person, and thought slow, tardy, and under-serviced. Either way, you're probably fed up like me, and their latest proposal, backed by a majority of their Mayors' Council (made up of Metro Vancouver mayors), is the straw that breaks the camel's back. I am livid, and when I tell you why, you probably will be too.

Back in June, the Mayors' Council decided (with Burnaby, West Van, and Maple Ridge opposing) that in order to fund all their pet projects, Translink would need $7.5B over the next 10 years. This would require Translink's operating budget to be increased from $1.4B to $2.2B per annum, a massive increase of over 50% to maintain and expand bus service, build a light rail to Surrey and a subway extension to UBC, replace the Patullo Bridge, and other odds and ends.

What wasn't clear was how they planned to fund this, since the province steadfastly refused to reallocate tax dollars. None of these are bad ideas, but this is the very epitome of spending money you don't have, which we can all agree is not a very smart thing to do.

Last month, the Council announced that they had found a solution. They would put it up to the good people of BC, in a referendum this spring, to decide whether or not to approve a 0.5 percentage point hike in the PST, which would then go toward their plans. By their calculations, that would add about $250M each year into the provincial coffers.

Herein lies the problem. Ten years multiplied by $250M/year is not $7.5B. It is not even close to $7.5B. It is so far off that even the pollsters who said the NDP would win a majority in 2013 are looking great. Translink and the mayors apparently operate in a fantastical land of pixies and stardust where $250M over 10 years magically turns into $7.5B.

Do you know what you get in the real world when you are 200% off, to the tune of 5 billion dollars? As Donald Trump would say, "YOU'RE FIRED!"

Undoubtedly, Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson, the biggest backer of this plan, is trying to use this to fulfill a campaign promise for a subway line down the Broadway corridor to UBC. In the council's own report, this would take $2B, never mind Translink's history of projects going over-budget. By my calculations, the proposed PST hike would leave the city barely enough money to extend the existing line a couple of stations to join up with the Canada Line at Cambie St.

Burnaby mayor Derek Corrigan is right when he says this leaves more questions than answers. Questions like "[how] are we going to decide which line goes first? Will it be Vancouver with the new tunnel down Broadway or will it be a light rail line into Surrey?" West Vancouver mayor Mike Smith told reporters that if his municipality kept the money they gave to Translink, he could provide free bus service for his constituents.

Translink has long been known to be one of the most wasteful organisations in the province. The Independent Transit Commissioner describes Translink's funding formula as the best in the country, yet year after year Translink complains that they don't have enough money to support their operations. Why? Because they misallocate millions of dollars, not least of which goes toward 6-figure salaries for over 400 employees, including an extremely bloated board of directors, not including benefits. And that's only the beginning...

Constant harsh criticism has prompted Translink to respond, saying “[we] do not have the resources to investigate each one of [the] claims, nor is the public purse well served by going down such dirt trails when we have important operations and communications matters to pursue.”

Well, other people have now been so kind as to do it for you. The lack of any sort of responsible governing of Translink is appalling, and the provincial government is to blame as well. Translink operates with all the benefits of a public corporation, complete with tax funding, and none of the accountability. If these reports surfaced about any government department, heads would have rolled. Instead, it's business as usual for Translink, after which the directors vote themselves great whacking bonuses.

If you look at Translink's 2014 budget, you'll find to no surprise that despite the best funding formula in the country, they have a $52M deficit. The Golden Gate Bridge is losing money, and there's not a single word about the Port Mann. When we take away everything that could fall under the purview of the provincial government (i.e. only looking at Translink and transit costs vs. revenue from transit operations), that shortfall grows nearly tenfold.

The province obviously can't be trusted to fix this; they're they ones who let it degenerate to this state in the first place. It's high time to privatise Translink and leave them to the mercy of private citizens, and force them to streamline.

In the meantime, when that referendum comes out, BC voters need to say "NO!" No to flowery promises of unlikely new transit lines, no to the continued smoke and mirrors finances of Translink, and no to another hand in our pockets. If they do get the money, it won't be long until they tell us that it wasn't enough (as if we didn't already know that). Then, they'll tell us that since they started already, it's too late to stop, so could we very kindly, pretty please, with a cherry on top let them stick another hand or three in?

Apparently, Translink thinks we're all idiots. If we let them have their way, this just might be the one thing they've ever gotten right.