Photo Darren Stone. Time Colonist
Two weeks ago, the B.C. Liberals ridiculed the NDP government鈥檚 leisurely 鈥渞eview鈥� of the Massey Tunnel replacement project, claiming it鈥檚 a sham because they never had any intention of carrying on with the huge bridge.
Liberals made the claim based on an election campaign document that pretty much said exactly that. The undated document was headed: This Is What Bold Looks Like. Outlining some rapid-transit projects, it said: 鈥淲e鈥檒l pay for this instead of replacing the Massey Tunnel.鈥�
The official version is that the $3.5-billion bridge is on hold until at least next spring, while 鈥渁ll options are fully explored鈥� and a big study is finished on how it fits into regional and provincial priorities.
But the campaign document suggests you could change 鈥渘ext spring鈥� to 鈥渨hen hell freezes over.鈥� It was a Christy Clark pet project and it鈥檚 deader than the Monty Python parrot.
麻豆传媒映画Islanders might feel slighted because the stall consigns them to drive the nasty old tunnel under the Fraser River en route to 麻豆传媒映画for another decade or so while metro politicians argue about what to build next.
But on the bright side, there鈥檚 some amusement about what started the argument about the NDP鈥檚 real intentions.
The campaign document was found in a desk in one of the Opposition cubbyholes that the Liberals moved into after their government collapsed in June. Liberal staff said they found it in NDP MLA Rob Fleming鈥檚 old desk, after he moved over to the education minister鈥檚 suite. (Isn鈥檛 there something in the new curriculum about keeping things neat and tidy?)
This week, the Liberals went back to that modest lost-and-found treasure trove for another instalment of This Is What Bold Looks Like. Still on the theme of transportation, the 鈥減latform prep鈥� document discusses the need for a 鈥済immick鈥� related to B.C. Ferries.
鈥淣ote: The math has not been done, but we need a significant move 鈥� While we are considering the Crown/Ministry location, what people really want is a cut in fares and reliable service. If we are looking for the 鈥榞immick,鈥� perhaps we would have a ferry card for every B.C. resident, which would allow for a guaranteed break on fares.鈥�
The chatty, just-thinking-out-loud tone suggests it was written early in the campaign-preparation period. And the idea didn鈥檛 survive the final cut. The NDP campaign platform just promised a 15 per cent cut in fares on the minor routes, a fare freeze on the majors and restoration of the 100 per cent seniors鈥� weekday discount.
But the oblique reference at the start 鈥� 鈥渃onsidering the Crown/Ministry location鈥� 鈥� suggests the party was also mulling over yanking B.C. Ferries back into the control of the government, by restoring it as a Crown corporation.
B.C. Liberals rejigged it in 2003 as a privately run outfit owned by the government, in order to stop the rampant political interference that characterized the NDP term. But over time, they wound up meddling politically with the best of them.
Now, the NDP seems to be thinking about going back to the good old days of direct ministerial control. That concept didn鈥檛 make it to the final version of the platform, but that doesn鈥檛 necessarily mean it鈥檚 dead.
The 鈥渂old鈥� document also discussed a few other fare options, such as giving British Columbians ID cards guaranteeing fare cuts. Or just giving fare cuts based on proof of residence. Confusion with the existing experience card was noted. It also suggested closing the B.C. Ferries vacation centre in downtown Vancouver.
鈥淎lthough this works out in accounting terms revenue-neutral, it is symbolic of all that is wrong with B.C. Ferries.鈥�
The NDP apparently views it as an unnecessary add-on, although financial reports show $6 million worth of packaged vacations were sold last year, up 32 per cent from the previous year.
Just So You Know: There鈥檚 a new development on the Massey Tunnel propaganda front. People were starting to snicker at the government billboards hailing the construction start on the replacement project, given that it鈥檚 stalled out. Now, a Liberal MLA has hammered up new signs aimed at getting it restarted. They feature pictures of Premier John Horgan and Green Leader Andrew Weaver. 鈥淪tuck in Traffic? Thank These Guys.鈥�
Read more from the
