Translink Funding Referendum and Bill Tieleman, Hell No To Both Of Them

Written by Grant G


Bill Tieleman appears to be drunk on more than just cheap wine these days, perhaps drunk with the power of taxpayer`s money..

First let me say this, I was planning on writing a post explaining why we must vote down the Translink referendum on more taxation...

However, we must first clear up a few things...Bob Mackin and his relentless digging deserves credit for the first part of this posting...

Bob Mackin has found out that Bill Tieleman and his company are vying for lucrative Translink contracts, contracts that are to be let out after the referendum, depending of course on the result.

Bill Tieleman as the lead man, as the media point man on the Yes side of this ridiculous Translink funding referendum..

If the yes vote wins the referendum Translink will receive roughly $250 million more dollars each year, and with Bill Tieleman leading the yes vote charge clearly West Star communications(Bill Tieleman`s company that is in line for lucrative Translink contracts after a successful Yes vote) would receive preferable treatment, a yes vote win would most assuredly result in Bill Tieleman acquiring a very lucrative Translink contract..

And the worst part of this whole scenario, Bill Tieleman, a seasoned politico, knows all too well about conflict of interest, perceived and or real, in this case the conflict of interest is glaring, it`s offensive, it`s downright disgusting and Bill Tieleman knows it, and yet he has refused to divulge his glaring conflict of interest..

If the shoe was on the other foot and the No vote was in clear conflict of interest or if Bill Tieleman was representing the no vote and the yes side lead point-man was in a similar situation of clear blatant conflict of interest Bill Tieleman would be screaming from the rafters..

I was wondering why Bill Tieleman in a Christmas post on his thin gruel blog site lavished praise on Christy Clark and Stephen Harper...I thought it was too much Christmas sacrificial wine, little did I know Bill Tieleman was going to bed with dogs, resulting in Tieleman being infested with Conflict of Interest Fleas....It explains everything..

 http://billtieleman.blogspot.ca/2014/12/merry-christmas-christy-clark-stephen.html

Bill Tieleman knows the right thing to do is to resign as leader of the Yes side of the Translink referendum..If he doesn`t resign Bill Tieleman must admit to, acknowledge that he has vested interests in acquiring Translink contracts...In other words Bill Tieleman must admit he has aspirations of joining Translink`s gravytrain..

Here is the good stuff from Bob Mackin..

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"Finally, there is a very long list of more than 50 companies that responded to TransLink’s invitation to pre-qualify for “Professional Planning Research and Policy Services” under RFP Q14-155.
Who might some of those companies be that are in line, hoping to score a TransLink contract?

Tieleman: touting TransLink

You’ll recognize Aecom, CH2M Hill, Parsons, Stantec and SDG, who are seeking the Surrey and/or Broadway technical services contracts (see above). Interfleet Technology is on the list. The U.K-based consultancy is a division of SNC-Lavalin.
Also seeking TransLink gigs under the same tender notice are Counterpoint Communications, Kirk and Co., Stratcom and West Star Communications Corp.
Kirk and Co. is a BC Liberal-allied firm that already has a TransLink gig which was extended without bid. A Nov. 25, 2014 notice of intent re-upped its “Public Affairs and Engagement Consultant” contract. Mike McDonald, the BC Liberal campaign manager when Premier Christy Clark promised a TransLink funding referendum, is part of Kirk. See above for more about Counterpoint. Stratcom is the polling, research and robocall arm of Vision Vancouver.
West Star is a surprising entry on the list. It is the firm run by Bill Tieleman, perhaps the most-prominent public face of the Yes campaign,.....


 Bill(Tieleman---Grant G) was unavailable for comment much of Jan. 8, but I look forward to updating this post when he responds."


 http://bobmackin.ca/?p=2320

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Why we should vote no on the Translink funding referendum....

First off....Translink as an entity needs to be blown up...The NDP wanted the Translink structure blown up, and also wanted to scrub the proposed Translink funding referendum during our 2013 provincial election...All that has changed since prominent NDPers are lining up at the taxpayer`s trough and wanting to get in on Translink`s Gravytrain Express.

The Golden Ears bridge was a Translink responsibility, it was built as a toll bridge, the builder of the bridge was supposed to recoup their build costs through tolls, but...At the 11th hour of construction the builder got cold feet and didn`t want to collect tolls, they saw the traffic projections for that bridge and wanted a new deal...Translink came to the private bridge builder`s rescue...

Translink gave the builder guaranteed income regardless of the traffic...Call it crony capitalism..

As a result Translink is losing $20 plus million dollars every year on the Golden Ears bridge..

Clearly this 11th hour swap was planned ahead of time, Translink bails out Gordon Campbell`s bridge building buddies and Translink(taxpayer) foots the bill...This alone should have been enough to have Translink blown up as an entity..

You can read the shocking viral story here..

http://powellriverpersuader.blogspot.ca/2010/03/golden-ears-bridge-boondoggle-revisited.html

And after The Straight Goods reported all the bad news on the Golden Ears bridge..Years later and many days too late the MSM media followed our lead and reported this...

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Golden Ears Bridge losing millions of dollars each year

 http://www.vancouversun.com/business/Golden+Ears+Bridge+losing+million+each+year/8965050/story.html

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 http://www.railforthevalley.com/latest-news/zweisystem/ha-ha-ha-rail-for-the-valley-was-right-all-along-fare-gates-do-no-reduce-fare-evasion/

"Well, Rail for the Valley told you so, but with the hoopla in the mainstream media and on certain radio station, to a certain lobbyist’s delight, fueled a public frenzy on the subject of fare evasion. So much so, was the public’s anger over fare evasion, the public demanded fare gates be installed at all SkyTrain stations. The fact of the matter was different, the percentage of people avoiding to pay fares was about the same as on other transit systems. Fare evasion is a cost of doing business.

Should not this study have been done before TransLink wasted hundreds of millions of dollars retrofitting the mini-metro stations with fare gates?

The real winners in the fare gate fiasco is Cubic, who supplied the fare gates in a market that is seeing most transit agencies ridding themselves of them and former premier Gordon Campbell’s good friend and former Vancouver City manager under the Campbell regime (who’s thumbprint is behind many of TransLink’s expensive fiascoes) and Cubic highly paid lobbyist, Ken Dobell!

I think we can call it “bait and gate!”
The fare evasion/fare gate fiasco is just another reason why there should be a full independent audit of TransLink, including the light metro system.
Memo to Adrian Dix: Do you have the moral fortitude to order such an audit?
Study finds transit fare gates don’t curb crime

VANCOUVER/CKNW(AM980)
Janet Brown
1/31/2013

Fare gates on public transit systems have very little impact on fare evasion, crime and public disorder.
That’s the finding of a study carried out by Criminologist Darryl Plecas at the University of the Fraser Valley.

Plecas says while the introduction of turnstiles and fare gates is perceived by the public as a panacea to deal with fare evasion it’s really not the answer.

He also says there is little data to suggest the gates have a measurable impact on crime and/or public disorder.

“These gates are very expensive to install and when you look at how long it takes to get the payback from what you lose on fair evasion i think that at least some people conclude that at the end of the day they certainly don’t pay for themselves.”

The study – which cost five-thousand dollars – was commissioned by Transit Police whose role is already being questioned once the fare gates come in.

The first fare gates on Skytrain and Canada Line are expected to up and running in the fall."

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Compass cards, over $200 million dollars spent and still no working compass cards, the reason, with a transit system with three different fare zones, three different fare prices Compass cards are virtually useless...Translink needs to go to a single zone fare system to make the Compass card system work..It may be years or never before a Compass card system works for Translink..

Again, with an assist from Rail For The Valley..Translink Compass card system was supposed to cost about $173 million, the new price is well over $200 million and is still doesn`t work, the price will go up and up and up some more
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 Well, here we go again, new numbers from TransLink clearly shows that the much touted Compass Card is $23 million over budget and Cubit Industries will be paid $12 million annually to operated the system – more money than was thought lost through fare evasion!
So, let’s look at more TransLink expenditures.

*TransLink CEO Ian Jarvis earns $400,000/yr and just got a $12,000 bonus.
*141 TransLink Executives make over six figures.
*TransLink spends $120,000/yr on gourmet coffee for it’s Executives.
*The Compass Card system is $23million over-budget.
*TransLink will generate over $6million annually from riders paying double under the new Compass Card.

Yes, just what Zwei thought, the real problem with Translink is that it has become a trough for management to suck off the taxpayer’s teat and what do those 141 TransLink executives do to deserve being paid over 100,000 a year?

Transparency is another word not in TransLink’s lexicon."

 http://www.railforthevalley.com/latest-news/zweisystem/translinks-compass-card-boondoggle-revisited/

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Why we need to vote no on giving Translink more money...We all heard about the many breakdowns Translink had on their Skytrain system...Well guess what...Translink wants $73 million dollars to put a intercom system and flashing neon lights at each station so as to be able to better inform the public what to do next time the system breaks down...

Huh!...How about blue-suited Translink employees telling the public what to do, the same employees who could have been hired to actually stop fare evasion...Clearly some political insider is planning on making a fortune on an intercom and neon lights installation contract..

Here`s another newsflash...Skytrains have intercoms at the stations and in each car already...And there are neon message boards already at each station...What Translink wants to spend $73 million dollars on already exists at the stations...And guess what, any transit systems that moves 100,000`s of passengers each day...If that system breaks down there is NO BACK UP SYSTEM, THERE ARE NO STANDBY BY BUSES AND DRIVERS AVAILABLE TO MOVE THOSE STRANDED PASSENGERS..

$73 MILLION WOULD JUST BE FLUSHED DOWN THE TOILET, AND NO DOUBT IT WOULD COST DOUBLE OR TRIPLE THAT ESTIMATE.

Need more reasons to vote no....This proposed sales tax increase isn`t enough money, the mayors admit that more funding is required, there are suggestions that road pricing is coming too, road pricing is charging car drivers by how many miles they drive on our roadways...Which means that $hundreds of millions will need to be spent on monitors, transponders, cameras, drive over counters and another corporation to collect this money..Translink`s wishlist of projects over the next 10 years has a projected cost of well-over $10 billion dollars...The sales tax increase will only raise $2.5 billion over 10 years..

Where is the other $9 billion to come from?..Road pricing, Cay levy and bridge tolls?...Oh indeed..

The provincial Government gave to Translink many old, in need of replacement bridges...that`s right folks...Translink was given, for free the Puttella bridge and others, for free, the caveat, Translink is now responsible for maintaining and replacing those bridges...The Puttella bridge is 80 years old...

And now Translink owns it...A classic bait n switch...The BC Government took the responsibility for old bridges out of the ministry of transportation and dumped it onto Translink, thus forcing Translink to find (in the case of the Puttella bridge, $2 billion dollars for replacement) the money..

This Translink referendum, the mayors state that the sales tax increase will fund the Puttella bridge replacement....But guess what..

The mayors have also admitted it, the BC government has admitted it too....Translink and Bill Tieleman have been deafly silent on this fact..

When the Puttella bridge is replaced it will be a toll bridge, leaving the Alex Fraser as the only free alternative to cross the Fraser river..

But....That`s a classic double dip...Using a sales tax increase to fund the building of a new Puttella bridge then once it is built charging drivers($1700 per car n driver per year) again...

That is complete bullshit.... Only Burnaby`s Derrick Corrigan is correct..Blow Translink up...

Charging sales tax to replace the Puttella bridge then charging those who use a big toll...

Why the hell do we have a ministry of Transportation, they have downloaded their responsibilities onto Translink..

How about raising corporate tax for Transit...How about that...BC has the lowest corporate tax in Canada...

Need more...Small businesses have enough costs...car dealers and big item businesses have cried foul over this sales tax increase, a Maple Ridge car dealership will lose sales to a Mission car dealership...

Thus the BC Government is actually creating a third tax...Businesses will now have to file PST...GST..and the new Transit ST(Sales Tax)...Another layer of red tape...The BC Government has admitted that the money raised from this 1/2% tax will not all go to Translink...The BC Government will keep a portion(unspecified amount) of this new money to pay for the administration of the tax..

In other words, who the hell knows what extra money Translink will receive..

On top of that...

Translink already receives 17 cents on every litre of fuel we buy....Translink gets property taxes...Translink receives parking taxes...Translink receives money from a BC Hydro transit levy, and now they want more...

Gregor Robertson`s UBC subway will cost over $3 billion dollars...We can run a whole lot of buses for a fraction of that...I have not heard of one case where students couldn`t get to UBC..

Gregor`s subway line isn`t about moving people it`s about pleasing developers who are drooling in anticipation of building condos near transit hubs..

Here is a very interesting article from David Beers of The Tyee...It would be cheaper to give every student a Prius for traveling back n forth to UBC than to build Gregors over-priced subway line..

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http://thetyee.ca/Views/2008/12/16/Prius/

"Instead of building that train, you could give every new UBC undergrad the keys to their very own Prius automobile. Year after year. Forever.

That's right. As Condon calculates in a new study, you'd start by putting the $2.8-billion price of the train into a trust that earns six per cent interest. That would generate $168 million a year -- about enough to give every full-time undergrad entering UBC a basic $25,000 hybrid vehicle. (No leather seats -- we're in crisis mode, you know.) Now wouldn't the planet -- not to mention UBC's recruitment officers -- like that approach more than just one measly new subway line?"

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I`ll have more to say on this bogus Translink referendum in the near future...For those interested, it is time to put funding for transit back in the hands of our elected Government, Christy Clark and the BC Liberals need to govern, and stop passing the buck and responsibility to others..

When the Translink referendum fails, which it will, Government will be forced to do what they must, including lobbying Ottawa for money...If Ottawa says no..Well, Harper is on his way out very soon..Maybe Justin Trudeau`s Government will be more Transit infrastructure friendly...One way or another transit will get funded..

The Puttella bridge when replaced will be a toll bridge...Thus those being tolled will pay for the replacement, just like the Port Mann bridge..

No need for this sleazy attempt to double dip funding for the Puttella bridge...Sales tax to pay for replacement and tolls too...That is pure bullshit..

lastly....If one remembers my posting about not building Site C dam...Rather than build Site C dam  we can save a fortune by building a clean, new efficient natural gas electrical power plant..

 http://powellriverpersuader.blogspot.ca/2015/01/site-c-dam-lets-flush-15-billion.html

The interest payments alone on Site C would be more than double what a sales tax increase would bring in to Translink....Meaning there are real options available..


If we built a natural gas electrical generating power plant...We could also build Surrey`s light rail ground level transit system...Replace the Puttella bridge, add buses south of the Fraser river and still have $5 billion dollars left over..

For all those reasons and many more...

I, along with hundreds of thousands of others will be voting....

Hell no To Translink`s Funding Referendum..

 As for Bill Tieleman...Thanks to Bob Mackin...You Bill T have been..

Thunderstruck!


The Straight Goods
Cheers Eyes Wide Open