ELECTIONS BC 2013

Elections May 2013: Just my opinion?

Transportation is an issue of major impotence to a large number of South Coast BC residents. The BC Legislature enacted South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority Act (Translink) over 30 years ago. Thirty Years or more of various governments have seen a multitude of amendments. The result is a tedious and complex puzzle for researchers.

The present Liberal BC Legislature is the inheritor of the changes implemented under the leadership of former Premier Campbell. They resulted in a move that took Translink into the beginning of an undemocratic privatization move. Instead of a Board made up of mostly Mayors who are elected, we now have a Board mad up of business and professionals not elected but appointed. The previous Mayors Board is relegated to mainly consultative status., with nothing as far as we know to make changes to Board decisions. The time has come to right the wrongs!

This years BC elections provide the electorate with an opportunity to restore democracy to Translink by letting the party of their choice know that they want the restoration of the former Mayors Translink Board and the abolition of the present Translink Board and expect a public announcement to gain their support as an elector.  One step more is that some services in Translink are contracted. It would remove problems like uncertainty for clients and riders and employees if these companies were no longer under contract but were companies the same as all other non-contracted firms or companies in Translink. The time is now to demand a public inquiry into the whole problem of transportation in the South Coast of BC.

It is important for the general public to begin to take back democracy and this election is a good place to start. Canada has already gone too far on the path to open corporate rule.