May
28, 2007
Campbell
Delivers Transportation Chaos
Bill
36, Greater
Vancouver Transportation Authority Amendment Act, 2007,
imposes a bizarre governance structure, which really is
an elaborate screen to camouflage the fact that the provincial
government ultimately will control transportation from Pemberton
to Hope, using its legislative authority when bullying doesn't
work. However, it appears that the Act has run into a few
problems as its passage will be postponed until the fall
legislative session. As currently drafted, the Act contemplates
a "screening panel" being appointed by June 30th,
with the recommendations from that panel submitted to the
"mayors' council" on or before September 15th.
The current session of the Legislature is scheduled
to adjourn by early evening on Thursday, May 31st, and
the fall session is not scheduled to begin until Monday
October 1st.
Transportation
Minister Kevin Falcon will succeed in killing the parking
stall tax, but his knee jerk reaction of doing it by radically
changing the Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority
may be costly for people who need to get around on the South
Coast.
The
Campbell government would never admit that getting its 29%
pay raise and silver-plated pension through the Legislature
was more important than the public's business, so the reason
for the delay in Bill 36 probably has something to do with
criticism received from key stakeholders. With missed deadlines
for getting the complicated new structure up and running,
the government can either proceed as if the legislation
was in place, or it can respect the rule of law and rewrite
key sections of its Bill. Either way, it owes the public
an explanation. The governance and planning of transportation
in the Lower Mainland has been thrown into chaos by the
apparent incompetence of the Campbell government. That won't
surprise any of the businesses on Cambie Street in Vancouver
or Number Three Road in Richmond, many of which are facing
bankruptcy as a result of the government's incompetence,
demonstrated by nine to twelve months of construction paralysis
instead of the three months they were promised. The Campbell
government, and Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon, appear
ready to apply Canada Line style chaos to the entire Greater
Vancouver Transportation Authority.
In its
current form, Bill 36 establishes a "screening panel"
that would make Stalin look like an advocate of democracy:
176
(1) The screening panel appointed in 2007 must, on or before
September 15, 2007, provide to the mayors' council on regional
transportation a list of at least15 qualified individuals
to be considered for appointment as directors of the authority.
(2) Promptly after performing its duties under subsection
(1), and, in any event, on or before September 15, 2007,
the screening panel appointed in 2007 must,
(a) by order, establish the remuneration to which a director
of the authority is entitled and the terms on which it is
to be paid, and
(b) provide to the authority all of the screening panel's
records.
(3) The minister may extend the date referred to in subsection
(1) or (2) if requested to do so by the screening panel.
(4) After the screening panel appointed in 2007 has performed
its duties under subsections (1) and (2), the appointments
of the members of the screening panel are terminated and
the screening panel is disestablished.
The
screening panel is defined as the individuals appointed
in accordance with Section 172:
172
(1) On or before June 30 of each year,
(a) the minister must appoint one eligible individual,
(b) the mayors' council on regional transportation must
appoint one eligible individual,
(c) the council of the Institute of Chartered Accountants
of British Columbia must appoint one eligible individual,
(d) the board of directors of the Vancouver Board of Trade
must appoint one eligible individual, and
(e) the Greater Vancouver Gateway Society must appoint
one eligible individual,
and the persons appointed under this subsection constitute
a screening panel for the year in which the appointments
are made.
(2) If a member of a screening panel dies or resigns before
his or her appointment is terminated under section 176
(4) or 181 (3), the remaining members of the screening
panel must, within 30 days, appoint an eligible individual
as a replacement member.
Section
172 means that the Institute of Chartered Accountants of British
Columbia would have as much say in drafting the shortlist
for the board that will nominally govern transportation between
Pemberton and Hope as all the mayors representing all the
municipalities in that large region. Likewise, the Vancouver
Board of Trade would have as much influence as all those elected
mayors. Sections like that appear to reflect the interests
that finance Campbell's Liberal Party, a political party that
would have trouble surviving without corporate financing.
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