The Capital Regional District's attempt to launch a regional transportation service that will be funded through household taxes is drawing the ire of some community members.
The new service could requisition up to $20 million from CRD municipalities annually. It aims to achieve three key objectives: increase walking, cycling and transit use; reduce carbon pollution; and tackle congestion, the CRD states.
The proposed service was sent to the alternative approval process (AAP) at a March 12 CRD board meeting, where it faced some opposition from board members.
Sooke, however, supported the process, arguing that the province is not providing enough help when it comes to Sooke's transportation and local solutions are needed. This prompted former Colwood mayor Dave Saunders to speak out.
“You're not going to change the world with a $20-million new bureaucracy in a year,” said Saunders.
According to Sooke Mayor Maja Tait, the district already pays into CRD’s transportation services, which mostly cover trails, at $39 per year per household.
The new transportation service would see that fee grow incrementally by $2 per year, with a maximum requisition of $75 per year per household. The increase comes just after Sooke announced a 15 per cent tax hike.
“I can hear some saying, ‘Well, we don’t want to pay,’ but what are you going to do instead then?” said Tait.
Saunders would like to see municipalities work more closely with the provincial government rather than entrench the region in a new bureaucracy.
“Why are they duplicating a service that already exists?” said Saunders.
“There hasn’t been one leader to approach the Ministry of Transportation and the province and say, ‘Let’s meet on a quarterly basis and develop a long-term, short-term and medium-term plan.’”
However, Tait says that, at least in Sooke, attempts to work with the province have seen little momentum.
“What if the province refuses to meet, as has been the case in the past? We request meetings — they’re unwilling to meet, or when we do meet, we get 20 minutes. What if we invite them to attend and they have nothing to share?” said Tait.
“As a small municipality within the region, our advocacy efforts are often not heard. We are unsuccessful in grants, even losing out on transit services because there are always growing demands elsewhere.”
Tait worries the district may be left behind. As Sooke continues to grow, more people must commute out of town as business development falls behind residential development. Meanwhile, infrastructure continues to develop in other regions, and resources such as double-decker buses have been moved out of Sooke to facilitate rapid transit in other areas.
Recent accidents, such as those on Highway 1, have exposed the potential for paralysis of the region's transportation infrastructure.
“Clearly, there needs to be collaboration throughout the region with all municipalities,” said Tait, who adds without it, “The system will fail and not meet the demands of the future.”
While Saunders agrees transportation needs to be improved, he takes issue with how the CRD has approached it.
“I believe it should be a referendum-type question with a strong business case put forward to the citizens and let the citizens decide,” he said.
“When you bring things back to your council table, the citizens provide input and your council provides input.”
According to the district, the last time the regional transport service plan was discussed at council was on Sept. 25, 2023.
The AAP requires at least 10 per cent of the CRD’s electorate to complete an elector response form voicing opposition to the bylaw. If the 10 per cent threshold is reached, the CRD must hold a referendum or reconsider the proposal. If the threshold is not reached, the CRD can adopt a new bylaw.
Saunders feels the AAP is a way to bypass the electorate and should be done away with.
“It's a sneaky way to circumvent actual public participation in a very serious question related to taxes, especially in these hard times,” he said.
Tait, however, says the AAP represents an opportunity to test the waters and determine if a referendum is necessary.
She further acknowledged that while it may not be the best method to introduce such a service, it was ultimately a board decision and one that presents a path forward.
“Doing nothing isn’t going to improve anything for our residents,” said Tait.
