- Joined
- Jan 25, 2012
- Messages
- 31,926
- Reaction score
- 29,390
- Location
- Vancouver, Canada Dual citizen
- Gender
- Male
- Political Leaning
- Independent
One thing though- it's a travesty that Surrey only has what, 2K? of Skytrain line. For it's size and tax contribution Surrey should have rail transit at least equal to Burnaby or Coquitlam.
I blame the last Mayor, Diane Watts. If that's how she looks after her constituents I hope she misses out on the Liberal leadership and has given up her Federal seat for naught.
Diane Watts is Cristy Clark as a brunette, but I wouldn't lay the lack of sky train at her feet, but rather Doug McCallum her predecessor. He was shunted to the side when the NDP decided to extend sky train via the "Milenium Line" looping from Commercial Dr. & Broadway through Burnaby and back to New West. The NDP was desperate for support in the suburbs and they owed Derek Corrigan and his union buddies big time for their support over the years.
Watts did herself no favors by attacking Gorden Campbell before he'd done anything and the Liberals simply went went around her and direct to the Sikh community.
Then came the 2010 Games, of which Surrey got some dribble, again because of Watts' and comments. That brought about the "Canada Line" (As if we have to to be continuously reminded what country we are in) which has been an incredibly big hit.
Then, the "garden club" municipalities chimed in, growing faster than anything else in the known universe and no mass transit while at the same time Simon Fraser has now expanded to three times it's 1965 size and Coquitlam is not only the largest municipality in Canada (in territory) but also deeply rich with 'new voters'... who of course backed the Liberals. The "Evergreen Line" opened earlier this year (it is very impressive).
Watts' actions were a very small part in the great political soup that is lower mainland (oops it's "Metro" now) transportation politics. But wait, there's more! Mayor Moonbeam a.k.a Gregor Robertson a good buddy of former Vancouverite Justin Trudeau, who you may recall announced a huge deficit to create jobs by building "infrastructure" which translates into "Burrard Sky Train Line" in political speak.
Stay tuned, an announcement will come about two weeks into the next election campaign.