Devastating cuts to TransLink could be on the horizon

Good morning,

What if I told you by 2026, there would be a 50% reduction in transit service in Metro Vancouver? You’d rightfully feel, dare I say, a little worried…

Well, that’s what our top story today looks at. TransLink has some real funding problems in the coming years and unfortunately, there’s no easy fix. We break down the latest news and what it means for you.

Let’s dive in.

— Geoff Sharpe, Vancity Lookout editor

Editor’s note: Our Friday article on City Centre Artist Lodge inaccurately identified who converted the property into artist studios. That work was done by the Narrow Group and individual tenants. The Lookout regrets the error.

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WEATHER

Monday: 16 🌡️ 14 | 🌧️

Tuesday: 18 🌡️ 14 | ☁️

Wednesday: 21 🌡️ 16 | 🌤️

TRANSIT

Devastating cuts to TransLink could be on the horizon

What happened: In a bombshell announcement that all cities in Metro Vancouver were likely watching and dreading, TransLink put out specifics on what would happen to transit service throughout the region if the organization could not find enough funding to fill a $600-million yearly budget hole by the end of 2025. Strap in, because it’s not pretty.

TransLink has said that if the budget cannot be funded, the transit authority would have no choice but to, and this is not a mistype on our part, cut upwards of 50% of existing bus routes, eliminate the West Coast Express and cut SkyTrain and SeaBus services, amongst other things, according to the Vancouver Sun. 

• The organization says that 145 bus routes out of 220 could be eliminated depending on the approach to cuts… 

A broken funding model: TransLink has relied on the gas tax of 18.5 cents per litre as a major part of its funding. But there’s a problem, which should be apparent — every level of government is pushing for a reduction in gas vehicles, meaning less gas is consumed, resulting in lower revenue for transit. The Vancouver Sun reported earlier this year that Kevin Quinn, the CEO of TransLink, stated that the gas tax is a stagnant source of revenue and will not be growing.  

• Fare revenues have also remained low, as passengers have focused on single tickets rather than monthly passes, as transit usage patterns have changed due to things like work-from-home, according to Urbanized. 

Key date: TransLink has warned that funding needs to be secured by Spring 2025, otherwise cuts would have to take place by 2026. 

There are two scenarios that TransLink presented to The Mayors’ Council, the larger regional government that manages TransLink. One maximizes the number of people using the system, by reducing most bus services outside of Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond, and central Surrey. The second option maximizes coverage, while maintaining some low-performing routes. Low-income groups would be hit the hardest under either scenario.

• SkyTrain impact: The Expo and Millennium lines would see service cuts, while the Canada Line would not since it operated under a different private contract. 

It’s not just transit that would be affected. Driving congestion is expected to worsen by 20% under the plan. 

Zoom out: Beyond funding problems, the authority is also dealing with new housing policies by the provincial government, such as Transit Oriented Development, which will create much heavier demand for its services with so many new people living on those routes. The city’s change to end parking minimums in buildings will also mean more people moving will use transit instead of driving, not to mention the ongoing rapid growth of new people moving to the region. 

• The full report can be read here. 

Context: The dramatic report comes in the midst of a provincial election, and will assuredly push this issue into becoming a political problem for all parties. The scale of the cuts will be felt in key election seats that all parties need to win, including those outside of Vancouver,  and in Burnaby, Richmond and Surrey. 

• Provincial Conservative Leader John Rustad said last week he would not bail out TransLink, but would offer short-term funding relief, according to Urbanized.

In a big election promise, BC United Leader Kevin Falcon promised a new Second Narrows Bridge — with HOV lanes, SkyTrain connection and lanes for active transportation — and SkyTrain expansion to the North Shore, but did not specify how to pay for it. 

Uhhh, so what’s the solution? Great question! The federal government has promised $30 billion over 10 years to the country in the form of the The Canada Public Transit Fund, according to CBC. But that won’t start for another two years and TransLink noted recently announced funding was already included in their forecasts, according to CityNews. Plus, the fund is focused on capital funding, not for day-to-day operations.

• This funding ties into a bigger issue — TransLink’s money problem is a persistent, ongoing budget deficit that cannot be fixed with one-time funding, and was easier to ignore after multiple bailouts by higher levels of government.

Revenue potential: One potential revenue option, according to a report from Leading Mobility, would be congestion pricing, which could generate up to $1.6 billion a year and fix the entire budget deficit. But TransLink has ruled out charging drivers that way and would likely be a non-starter politically.

• In New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul intervened to halt the city’s congestion pricing, which would have helped fund the city’s transit system.

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VANCOUVER NUMBERS

⚽️ 4-1: The final score of the Wrexham and Whitecaps game, with Ryan Reynolds’ team defeating Vancouver. There was a mix of Wrexham and Whitecaps colours throughout the stadium. [CBC]

👍️ 21: The number of athletes that UBC sent to the Olympics. [Ubyssey]

CITY HALL

Streets for people: An urban design conversation with former Vancouver planner Sandy James

This is part of our Livable Cities series for paying Lookout supporters that explores how we can create more livable cities. The first topic we’re looking at is pedestrianization. 

Vancity Lookout sat down recently with Sandy James, a former Vancouver city planner and current executive director of Walk Metro Van. We discussed how cities make (or don’t make) accessible and inviting spaces for walkers and rollers to move around town, among other urban design topics. With more than 20 years experience at city hall, James was able to highlight some of the minutiae of Vancouver’s streetscape evolution and draw some useful comparisons to best practices in other major cities. 

This a long one but we think you’ll get a lot out of James’ insights and observations from this free-flowing conversation. 

Editor’s note: The interview has been edited for length and clarity. 

Vancity Lookout (VL): Why is pedestrian infrastructure important in a city?

Sandy James (SJ): The thing with pedestrians is we don't have something shiny. You guys have a bike, a pedestrian is just a pedestrian, and normally it's the two ends of the population, similar to the way with housing affordability, they're most impacted. The really young and the really old. The really young aren't allowed to have a car, and may not have a car, but may need to get somewhere, and every trip starts with a walk, right? And an older person [who] should probably not be driving, or has had the keys taken away, or maybe never learned to drive, and they need to have a safe and accessible way of accessing schools, shops and services.

But in the way that we developed in North America in the 20th century, we're really concerned about the car. And thank god for the bike advocates, because they carved a way to talk about biking. And as you know, in Vancouver, once you start biking, it's really, really hard to stop, because everything becomes so quick. 

The whole term ‘pedestrian’ is actually a really negative term. And it actually came in the 1700s and 1800s if you were in Britain or Europe and you're bored, you're in your stagecoach going from town to town, you would just talk to the person in the stagecoach beside you and do a wager with two of your servants. And those servants would be sent off on a foot race ahead of the coaches. It was called pedestrianism, and you would wager with the other stage coach who is going to be there first, and that's where the term pedestrian comes from. So it's actually even worse than a colonial term. It's a class term about what pedestrians were. 

NEW JOBS

Discover your new dream job in Vancouver:

• Director of operations at Freshslice

• Executive director, BCIT Foundation at BCIT

• Senior director of communications at Pembina Institute

• Head of communications and brand at WaterAid

• Digital community lead at MEC

THE AGENDA

🎤 The Vancouver council ABC party majority voted to effectively pause all complaints from the integrity commissioner, arguing that they need time to conduct an independent review of the commissioner’s mandate. Any complaints in the process of being reviewed and released have been paused, and there is no timeline when they would resume. The commissioner can receive complaints but cannot report on them to the public. [Business in Vancouver]

🎥 Summer Movie Nights | šxʷƛ̓ənəq Xwtl'e7énḵ Square (Vancouver Art Gallery North Plaza) | Aug 1, 5 PM | Join us for our Pride Night edition showing of Mama Mia! Presented by Public Disco, there will be disco tunes, dancing, and a drag show! | Learn more [Sponsored]

👮 Two men who were shot and killed Friday. It’s being investigated as a homicide by the police, who they say were both targeted. Both were killed in the same vehicle. [Globe and Mail]

🔥 Tough news for Walmart shopppers, the only location in the city has been shut down since Saturday after what police say was a criminal arson attack. The investigation is ongoing. [CityNews]

🏊️ Vancouver’s access to outdoor swimming pools is increasingly dictated based on income, with around 1,300 private outdoor pools in the richest parts of the city, while the rest of Vancouver only has two outdoor pools. To compare, Montreal has 74 and Toronto 57. [Vancouver Sun]

💰️ Metro Vancouver is moving forward with an audit of the North Shore sewage plant, which ballooned into a $3.2 billion over-budget project. Some Metro Vancouver board of directors, including a few from the North Shore, expressed concern about the audit process, saying it needed to be fully public. [Vancouver is Awesome]

🏢 Grandview-Woodland is getting a new 93-unit social housing complex after it was approved by city council last week. The building will be 15 storeys, and will prioritize people facing barriers like income and race. Commercial and retail space will also be integrated. [City of Vancouver]

📉 The federal government’s cap on international students is hitting higher education institutions differently. Langara College has one of the highest proportions of foreign students, at around 37%, and is dealing with a decline of 79% in foreign student applications. [Vancouver Sun]

🏘️ Now that's an ultimatum — the provincial NDP government has told West Vancouver that either they get their bylaws in line with the province’s requirements, to allow multi-unit and duplex housing on all lots, or the province will change it for them unilaterally. The city has 30 days to make the change before the province intervenes. [Vancouver Sun]

❌ Property management company Rent It Furnished Realty has had its accounts frozen and license suspended by the BC Financial Service Authority after it failed to produce financial records from last year. [CTV]

GOOD NEWS MONDAY

Here’s some good news to start off your Monday:

Doctors at Vancouver General Hospital were the first ones in Canada to use the new suturing tool Overstitch. Rather than cut open a patient, which always has risks, the new tool allows suturing to be done internally, by attaching it at the end of a scope. The doctor who performed it said he hoped it would become more widespread in Canada. [Global News]

EVENTS GUIDE

Vancouver Pride | All over town | Now until August 4 | Numerous events going on all week and weekend long | Learn more

Music on the Mountain | Grouse Mountain | Now until Sept. 1, 6:30-9:30 on Friday and Sunday | Come listen to a range of artists up at Grouse | Learn more

Billy Idol | July 30, 8 p.m. | Rogers Arena | Catch the first stop of the sexagenarian rocker’s Rebel Yell 2024 tour | Tickets $79

Global Geopolitics: Navigating Uncertainty with Argentina’s Consul General | Terminal Club | July 30, 12 pm | A great event for anyone interested in international affairs | Tickets $57

Music Bingo | The American | July 31, 8 pm | Classic music bingo along with some great prizes from local businesses | Free

The Writers Block Workshop | 316 W 5th Ave | July 31, 6 pm | A run interactive workshop to unleash your creativity and fight writer’s block | Tickets $36

Drive-in Movie: Jurassic Park | Lansdowne Centre | July 31, 9:15 pm | Drive-in movie of the classic dinosaur movie. 100% of proceeds go to Canada Blood Services | Tickets $27

Whiskey Enthusiast Club | 8570 River District Crossing | Aug. 1, 6:30 pm | Tastings, learn about pricing and connect with fellow Whiskey enthusiasts | Tickets $12

Powell Street Festival | Oppenheimer Park, Powell Street | Aug. 3 and 4, 11:30 am-7 pm | The popular event is back with Japanese food, art and more | Free

Exclusive Finest Specialty Coffee Tastings | Pallett Coffee Roasters | Aug. 3, 10 am | Learn all about Panamanian coffee with award-winning drinks. Includes guided cupping | Tickets $60

2nd International Summer Fair by Entrepreneurs | Roundhouse Community Arts and Recreation | Aug. 3, 10:30 am-3:30 pm | Desserts, crafts, clothing and more created by local entrepreneurs | Free

Como Taperia Patio Paella Series | Como Taperia | Aug. 4, 18 and Sept. 1, afternoon seatings | Come try authentic paella from the Paella Guys | Tickets $68

FOOD PREVIEW

Crossing the bridge to Yunnan cuisine

As I explore more and more food in Vancouver, one of the greatest joys is discovering the vast regional cuisine of China.

Like the best food cultures in the world, the range of ingredients and dishes varies throughout the country. Fortunately for us in Vancouver, the Chinese diaspora means we’re never far away from numerous different regional flavours.

Tomorrow’s Vancouver Lookout Eats newsletter explores one restaurant serving food from Yunnan province. It’s focused on noodles, done in different ways. I’ll share a little bit about the region and what other dishes to look for.

If you aren’t already subscribed and want to get this story, click here to instantly subscribe to our free Vancouver food and drink newsletter. 

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GAME TIME

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• This local business, known for making vibrant colourful clothing, is opening up at 748 E Broadway. [Vancouver is Awesome]

• This downtown Persian Bakery gets my recommendation — it’s a welcome addition to all the French-focused bakeries. [Vancity Lookout]

• So yeah, if there’s an event in the West End, you may want to avoid driving there. [Reddit]

• Here’s a wonderful profile about Lee’s Donuts, and the family behind the thriving local business. [CBC]

• The robot apocalypse draws closer every day. The latest development? Self-driving robot pods at YVR. [Richmond News]

• Want to have your announcement featured? Learn how here.