Sunday, March 21, 2010

Evergreen line con game continues


Sorry for the interuption..Congratulations Barack Obama,well done Democratic party,one small step for man,one giant step for mankind!___________________________________________________



Well well well, time to talk about the never green line, who didn`t see this one coming, shirley Bond gives local mayors a poison pill, Gordon Campbell and his group of con men aren`t fooling me or my faithful readers,let`s look outside the box.

As you all know the Evergreen has been talked about for decades, in fact Gordon Campbell promised to build the line every year he has been in office, the money losing Canada line that was built for the Olympics, $1 billion dollars over budget,and, and a $25 million dollar operating deficit every year for the next 2 decades, I know the Campbell government talks about Canada line as being this huge success, well friends that is nothing but a con job, here`s the deal on the Canada line, despite the ridership numbers it`s a money loser, Translink has artificially brought up the ridership by forcing buses from far and wide to bring people to the Canada line,now some of you might think that is a good idea but you`re wrong, the reason being is those transit users that are taking busses have already paid their fare,either in the bus or with a monthly pass, so now thousands of people are carted miles out of their way and stuffed onto the Canada line, the problem with that is we still need the busses and...Here is the big one, Canada line isn`t making enough revenue to pay its operating expenses, hence the $25 million dollar per year operating deficit.

Back to the Evergreen line, Campbell promised to build the evergreen line immediately after the Canada line was built, is he? Not a chance in hell, there are many moving parts at play here, number 1....The federal Government would like us not to proceed, after all, it appears the feds don`t even have the HST bribe money to give us, so the Feds would like nothing better than to say..."We gave our $400 million dollar commitment to the Evergreen line" But in reality they will never have to pony up the money when the project is cancelled again.

The Province, same thing, a Gordon Campbell special, the man has pledged billions of dollars over and over again only to stall,cancel,change his mind, of course the pledged dollars come with a Canwest/Global photo-op along with the local stooges in the media praising the Great liar Campbell, how many times are we going to be suckered by this game?In reality Gordon Campbell doesn`t have any money for the Evergreen line and the project being cancelled would suit him fine.

Let`s look at the moving parts a little closer,we have heard for years that the Federal Government has committed $400 million dollars, we have heard for years the the Province has committed $400 million dollars and all we need is for Translink to come up with $400 million dollars(their share)....Well guess what...Moving target #1...Suddenly in last weeks announcement Translink share of the Evergreen line has suddenly ballooned to $600 million dollars,how did that happen? It was $400 million dollars last month, so there is the first poison pill dealt by Gordon Campbell....Poison pill #2...Last week the Province announced the "Evergreen line will be built staring in 2011"....And there was another announcement last week!

Shirley Bond stated..."The Province will bring in legislation that will raise this $600 million dollars for Translink"

Well,what legislation could that be, Gordon Campbell just scooped $1/2 billion dollars from ICBC...That money isn`t going to Translink...Campbell is scooping more money from BC Hydro,that money isn`t going to Translink...MSP is going up,again the MSP increase isn`t going to Translink...Campbell has vowed that the useless Carbon tax won`t go to fund Transit....Gordon Campbell doesn`t need legislation to have ICBC charge a car levy,the province doesn`t need legislation for road tolling.

But, there is required legislation if the Province is going to raise municipal property taxes to fund Translink and this new inflated $600 million dollar share!

That`s right folks,Gordon Campbell is going to force municipalities to raise property taxes for Translink,or is he?

There are several problems with that scenario, problem #1) Mayors are already raising property taxes for municipal shortfalls, not just this year but next year and the year after...Problem #2)..How do you expect people in new Westminster,people in Langley,people in south Surrey to have their property taxes raised to pay for a Transit line their people will never use?....And those areas I have mentioned are screaming for busses and service,yet their screams are falling on deaf ears! And, what next,raise property taxes to pay for the $4 billion dollar line from Broadway to UBC?.....Again, the taxpayers would freak out.

And what do the local mayors have to say about this proposal from Shirley Bond...Well, Gregor Robertson says"No way".....Lois Jackson says..."not a chance"...Every mayor has said the property taxes are too high already and any increases now or in the future will be going to the municipal needs, in other words folks, Gordon Campbell wants to dip his hands into pockets where the mayors want to go digging!

LOL..But in reality folks, we need to look outside the box, the carbon tax increases are the perfect solution for Translink funding,but that is presuming that the Lying Campbell Government and the feds actually want a solution,they don`t!

Friends,this is a deliberate poison pill to get the Federal Government and the Provincial Government out of their $400 million dollar commitments, the mayors are going to put their backs up,the public is going to put their backs up and the Evergreen line is turning again into the Nevergreen line...That my friends is what is going on here,how much more proof do we need?

Consider this, the Conference board of Canada and the Habitual Liar Gordon Campbell and Liar Colin Hansen have stated..."BC is going to lead Canada in growth,"...."BC will lead all Provinces coming out of the recession".....Well folks, lets examine that,the Evergreen line, first off,how come Translink`s share has risen by $200 million to $600 million,secondly,if the Evergreen gets built they can`t spend all the money at once, the project would take several years, if they "Actually have $800 million dollars" start building the line,that gives the Province 4 years to find the money, and if it is true what the Conference board of Canada and what Campbell and Hansen have said...."We will lead Canada in economic growth"....Then certainly the money will be there!

But there in lies the rub friends, the Conference board of Canada are useless message spinners for Government,Paul Taylor is a member of the CBOC,nothing more need be said, Gordon Campbell and Colin Hansen are habitual liars,the BC economy is in the tank and plummeting, Natural Gas royalties are falling faster then the fluid level of Campbell`s gin bottle, Forestry is dead,the high Canadian dollar is going to kill tourism, in fact the whole BC economy is tanking so fast, IPP power buying contracts are going to squeeze even more money from the Province,HST,the public is broke, BC is on the verge of a financial disaster....

So my friends,the Nevergreen line saga will continue,Shirley Bond will blame the mayors,Gordon Campbell will blame the NDP of the 90s...The Media Stooges in BC will remain silent, the stooges will watch their Private power stock purchases and their silence will be "deafening"

The Straight Goods

Cheers-Eyes Wide Open

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

IMHO, Translink should only cover the operating costs of these large metro Skytrain lines NOT the capital costs albeit they should still be responsible for capial cost outlays for buses.

The province should be responsible for the capital costs of Skytrain just like they are responsible for the $multi-billion$ capital costs for the SFPR and PMHwy1 highway projects in the region.

BTW, what sort of screetch is Shirley "glug glug glug" Bond on these days? Saying that Translink's contribution for the EL will increase from $400 m to $600 m must be detrimental to her health.

I'd wager that her screetch these days must be at least 90% proof!

Gary E said...

"the best people to manage our money" have sold this whole province down the river. Campbell has absolutely no idea how to manage money. He should meet the bride, she doesn't either.
When, not if, this government falls, we will see just what he has done. And he just keeps robbing from Peter to pay Paul. Or, robbing from the people to pay his big business donors.

Evil Eye said...

This letter from American transit expert has been bouncing around for over two years; basically he is saying the TransLink Business case for the Evergroan Line is a phony as a $3 bill. In the letter, Fox claims,

".............TransLink has used this cunning method of manipulating analysis to justify SkyTrain in corridor after corridor, and has thus succeeded in keeping its proprietary rail system expanding."

The Rail for the Valley folks have been jousting with Campbell's PAB over SkyTrain and the Evergreen line for over a year!

For the full letter >

http://railforthevalley.wordpress.com/2008/12/26/can-translinks-business-cases-be-trusted/

In any other jurisdiction, the police would be called to investigate TransLink and certainly there would be investigation by professional bodies re: professional misconduct.

But not here, not in BC, where the government and its agents lie with impunity.

Another interesting take on the Evergroan fiasco can be had here >

http://railforthevalley.wordpress.com/2010/03/17/costly-skytrain-technology-choices-baffle-from-the-north-shore-news/

http://railforthevalley.wordpress.com/2009/07/20/the-demise-of-the-evergreen-line-how-does-this-affect-the-valley-interurban/

Grant G said...

Mr. Evil...I agree completely that Skytrain/Canada line/Evergreen line is a waste of money...I am in full support of light rail and buses.
Skytrain has always been about the insiders club.

However,I am sick and tired of the games,either fund skytrain or kill it.

And...Taxation without representation ...Translink has no authority to tax.

The Province has no legal mandate to bring in legislation,Gordon Campbell is an illegal fraudulent government.

And thanks Evil...Time to open up the books on all of Translink operations and obligations.

Anonymous said...

Grant - You obviously don't live in the Tri-cities area but people out here have been clamouring for the Evergreen Line for years!

Lots of potential NDP seats out here as well! I'm surprised that you did not even mention the NDP's position on the Evergreen Line -

"We will end the broken promises, end the delays and end the additional costs. We will build the Evergreen Line now."

Here's the link -

http://www.bcndp.ca/newsroom/we-will-build-evergreen-line-now-james

Time to RECALL all of the LIEberal MLA's in the Tri-Cities area!!!!!!!!

Grant G said...

8:12 PM..Everyone knows I am in Powell River...

However,everyone wants a skytrain,that`s true,but instead of Skytrain bankrupting the Province..For $3 billion dollars we can have LIGHT RAIL everywhere..

Light rail from Chiliwak in,light rail in south Surrey,light rail all over the GVRD..Skytrain is just too expensive,where I live on the sunshine coast we don`t have any transit,NONE AT ALL...We would love a skytrain too...

My dad talks of the interurban that used to run from Vancouver all the way out to the valley...

Light rail moves more people,low overhead,earthquake proof(A big earthquake and billions of dollars of skytrain is destroyed)light rail can be easily repaired.

So my friend,it isn`t about denying the tri-cities transit..It`s about getting the most bang for the buck,light rail rules.

As for my post,it isn`t about the evergreen line or light rail,it`s about lies and obfuscation and Shirley Bond`s poison pill.

Cheers

Evil Eye said...

Grant, just to let you know, the SkyTrain system is designed to survive a magnitude 6 earthquake. Well er, what a consultant told the "Eye" "nothing is quake proof", there is a 85% chance that SkyTrain will survive a magnitude 6 earthquake without serious damage!

As for Tri_cities clamoring for SkyTrain, TransLink claims the 'Nevergreen line' will carry only 70,000 passengers a day by 2021. Put another way, the 'Nevergreen Line' will be carrying about 330,000 customers a day that would justify a metro!

The Evergreen Line is all about land development, up-zoning residential and commercial lands to high density high rise construction, giving windfall profits to land developers who assembled the lands.

But you see the development has already happened, no need for transit now - its Broadways turn for a SkyTrain subway.

Grant G said...

Evil...I am reminded of that line from the movie (Crocidile Dundee)..

"You call that a knife,that`s not a knife,this is"

A magnitude 6 isn`t an earthquake,that`s a tremor...An earthquake is an 8 to 9 on the Richter scale...And there will be no elevated skytrain standing..

But again,that is not the issue,skytrain is too expensive,Gordon Campbell is a liar,Shirley bond and Campbell have put forward poison pills.

Cheers

Crankypants said...

The part of all this Translink setup is the way they are getting their funding. Property taxes and taxes on gasoline cost the same whether one is on a fixed income or making $200 k per year.

This is the scam that the federal Liberals, Conservatives and provincial Liberals have perpetrated on the public. They have all reduced income taxes, which are representative of ability to pay in favour of user pay taxation. The GST, HST are just more of the same, and if they go to road tolls, ICBC surcharges based on km. driven or even a share of the carbon tax is just more of the same.

As for the Evergreen Line, there is no way it should be Skytrain technology. It is just too expensive, when light rail would accomplish the same thing. Riders will still have to transfer from the Evergreen Line to get onto the Millenium Line.

I have lived in Coquitlam since 1977 and no matter how many highrise condos they build along this route, it will be a money pit. They will never be able to get a large enough ridership to make it self sustaining.

Cam

Evil Eye said...

According to Rail for the Valley, SkyTrain is subsidized by over $230 million annually, not including the Canada line!

Also a slight correction. I meant to say

"Put another way, the Nevergreen Line will be carrying 330,000 LESS customers a day that would justify a metro.

Hugh said...

Didn't Vancouver have streetcars going everywhere, in 1910-1950?

Evil Eye said...

Yes, very true David. Vancouver had streetcars from the 1890's to 1954.

In fact building LRT/streetcar on Broadway would not be going 'Greenfields', rather it would be reinstating LRT/streetcar service! Much cheaper, because the old formation is still intact in the median of Broadway.

As well the span wires and electrics are still intact (used by trolleybuses), making the introduction of LRT/streetcars even cheaper!

jaydee said...

In my opinion, the government and the media are lying (as usual) about the numbers and the real facts regarding LRT, in favour of yesterday's obsolete, very expensive Skytrain. Is it any wonder Campbell and his mob have destroyed this province so easily, because they are completely supported by their bed partners in the MSM. A media in bed with government = Dictatorship. With LRT the people south of the Fraser might even be able to go to Vancouver to party or whatever, and not have to worry about leaving early to get home before Skytrain shuts down for it's mandatory maintenance EVERY night and is unable to run at all when it gets too cold. LRT could run through the night and actually service the taxpayers instead of making Campbell's Skytrain rich corporate cronies even filthier rich. NO MORE CORPORATE WELFARE. B.C. LIBERALS AND THE MAIN STREAM MEDIA are the reasons for all the problems this once great province has been suffering through since 2001 and the massive debt the BCL's will leave behind to be paid for by the next 5 generations. Where is the Surrey/White Rock MLA??? Last I heard Hogg is probably hiding out under a white rock just south of Surrey waiting for his neighbourhood barbecuers to fire up, that being what he seems to love doing best. Where was Hogg when the people, seniors, lost their 351 direct bus to Vancouver? Where is Hogg now on the HST...for it...I haven't heard anything to the contrary. His area here has a huge population of seniors and what has Hogg done for them re the HST and HUGE increases in their care home fees? Nothing again. Just what has Hogg ever done for his constituents??? Absolutely nothing that I can see, still riding on his dad's coat tails, Dr. Hogg who started the Peace Arch Hospital.
There is a young guy who ran for Surrey council and Surrey school trustee in the last municipal election. He was only 18 years old and a whiz when it comes to LRT. His name is Paul Hillsdon, he got my vote and hopefully he will run again.