Eric Florip’s Sept. 3 Political Beat, “It’s time to fact-check candidates on the CRC,” reminds us that if voters reject this fall’s sales tax measure to fund the operations and maintenance of the proposed Vancouver light rail project “local leaders have said they’ll find another way to cover that cost.” Such as what?
Last June, the Vancouver City Council overwhelmingly rejected an alternative funding scheme for light rail operations and maintenance involving an employee “head tax.” What other hidden alternatives are our so-called “leaders” pondering? And, why did our so-called “leaders” not propose those alternatives to voters before approving the sales tax vote on light rail operations and maintenance? And, if voters reject the sales tax, why should our so-called “leaders” take this as a sign that Vancouver light rail operations and maintenance must be funded by some other alternative? Shouldn’t our so-called “leaders” recognize instead that defeat of the sales tax funding scheme represents voter rejection of Vancouver light rail as such?
And, if our so-called leaders should decide to defy the will of the electorate to reject Vancouver light rail, why should they be considered leaders? “Tyrants” would be the more appropriate term.
John Burke
Vancouver
