Bowen Island residents will get the chance to vote on whether or not to add a 0.5 percent increase to the provincial sales tax in the region to support the expansion of TransLink, but the results of the referendum will have a minimal impact on their travel to and from the island says Mayor Murray Skeels.
As a member of the Metro Vancouver mayor’s council, Mayor Skeels attended a meeting in New Westminster last week and voted on whether or not to put the question to a referendum.
“There was a package outlining all the impacts of this on every region of Metro Vancouver, except Bowen,” says Skeels. “We are not a part of this 7.5 billion dollar vision.”
Skeels said that despite this, he voted in favour of the referendum.
“As a member of the mayors council, it is not my job to advocate solely for the interests of Bowen Island,” he says. “I need to consider what’s best for all of Metro Vancouver, and this expansion is certainly needed. It is necessary to find a way to fund transit.”
Skeels says the first phase of the expansion plan would bring 220 new buses to metro Vancouver, and possibly the North Shore.. North Vancouver would also likely benefit from a new Sea Bus.
