Posts Tagged ‘Transit’

Mr. Robertson goes to Ottawa

Posted by Jonathan Ross

Robertson's looking for another kind of handshake like this (minus the Conservative propaganda), but is unlikely to walk away with anything of substance from Harper this time around.

I have been delinquent during the Games, as unlike those who transformed themselves into “media”, I took some time away from the blog and municipal politics to enjoy the civic experience of a lifetime.

That being said, I am now back in the swing of things, and will be posting regularly from this point forward.  CivicScene will also have some featured pieces coming out in one of Vancouver’s preeminent news outlets in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.

Mayor Gregor Robertson has left himself little time to rest in between the Olympic and Paralympic Games, as he has made his trek eastward to Ottawa and Toronto in search of “a commitment to a national housing strategy” and more provincial and federal funding for transit.

Yet on the heels of Premier Gordon Campbell’s government preparing people for today’s budget which will dramatically “cut back on the operating budgets of government” as well as Prime Minister Stephen Harper prefacing his upcoming budget by calling it the “toughest of his career,” I can’t see the Vancouver Mayor walking away with anything at all in terms of financial commitments.

But the trip is significant for the way in which Robertson is graduating from his roles and responsibilities that are most often bound within the confines of Vancouver’s official boundaries.

Read the rest of this entry »

Municipal strategies for the federal election

Posted by Jonathan Ross

Canada remains as the only OECD nation without a federal policy that ensures long-term, predictable transit investment.

With 61% of all operating costs for Canadian transit coming from passengers in the form of fares, Canada is severely lagging behind in terms of what their governments are contributing:

A substantial gap in government funding for Canadian transit when compared to other countries

A substantial gap in government funding for Canadian transit when compared to other countries

According to the Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA), between 2006 and 2010, there was a $20.7 billion national transit infrastructure deficit when it comes to fulfilling the basic requirements according to population.

These are compelling figures, giving Metro Vancouver’s mayors plenty of fodder for the upcoming federal election campaign.  Here are five strategies that the Mayors should consider to not only engage the public, but also to secure firm commitments from the leaders of the two main federal parties. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by Jonathan Ross

Canada’s transit systems invest $3.9 billion annually in operations, including staff salaries, fuel, parts and maintenance. Most of this investment is funded by passengers, whose fares pay for 61% of operating needs.

Tue Feb 07, 2012

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FACT OF THE DAY

In 2010, Vancouver had fewer than half the number of murders than it had in 2009.  There were nine homicides within Vancouver’s city limits, down from 19 killings the previous year.

Quote OF THE DAY

“Perhaps it was my silk dress or the new perfume I’ve been wearing lately. When I asked Suzanne Anton what her New Year’s resolution was, she replied, “To kiss a pretty girl!” and pecked me on the cheek.”  – Writer Emily Barca describing her encounter with the lone NPA City Councillor on New Year’s Eve.

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