The AMS encourages students to vote yes in the upcoming Metro Vancouver transit referendum for the Mayor’s Council Plan.
The transit referendum, which includes the construction of the Broadway Line, increased light rail services in Surrey and Langley and expanded bus routes, would require residents of Metro Vancouver to pay 0.5 per cent more provincial sales tax.
According to Bahareh Jokar, AMS VP External, the benefits of this referendum far outweigh the costs.
“There is quite a bit of gain for students and very minimal costs," said Jokar. "We estimate that it is going to cost between $30-50 a year depending on your income bracket and spending habits, and really what you are getting is tremendous amount of service increase.”
Jokar said that students will benefit from a 25 percent bus service increase, 400 new buses across Metro Vancouver, and increased night buses, among other services. This also includes a commitment to build an underground subway from VCC Clarke to Arbutus, which would make commuting to UBC easier for students but would not take them all the way to the university.
“Approximately 87 percent of our undergraduate students are commuters and 93 percent of our graduate students are commuters," said Jokar. "Students that live on campus also depend on transit.”
Jokar also said that the services are expected to decrease the number of people on the roads, even accommodating for the expected growth of the city's population within the next 25 years.
“It’s a plan for a society that is rapidly changing and growing," said Jokar.
Still, others have argued that the increase in taxes would not necessarily guarantee an improvement in transit services.
Jokar said that although challenges remain, the increased collaboration between labour, business and environmental groups will ensure that the changes benefit the largest number of people possible.
In the upcoming months, the AMS will be encouraging students to vote by helping those who live in Metro Vancouver register and hosting various sessions to talk about the benefits of the referendum.
Voting will take place by mail-in ballot from March 16 to May 29. Any Canadian citizen over the age of 18 who has been living in Metro Vancouver for the last six months is eligible to vote.
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