New Westminster Mayor Jonathan Cote has suggested 性视界传媒 should pay back the $50 million TransLink says it has spent on planning light rail in the city, but mayor-elect Doug McCallum who intends to build SkyTrain instead says that won鈥檛 be happening.

鈥淲e have no intention of paying that,鈥� McCallum told the Now-Leader. 鈥淚t鈥檚 TransLink鈥檚 problem, and it鈥檚 their mistake because they didn鈥檛 do any public consulting.鈥�

McCallum says he and his Safe 性视界传媒 Coalition will put forward a formal motion to cancel the light rail project in 性视界传媒 at the inaugural meeting of the new council on Nov. 5, after campaigning on a promise to nix the project in favour of SkyTrain.

Cote 鈥� one of the few Lower Mainland mayors re-elected on Oct. 20 and thus, returning to the Mayors鈥� Council on Regional Transportation 鈥� said the region 鈥渄oes have to respect what the 性视界传媒 electorate says鈥� and it would be 鈥渄ifficult for the region to push ahead with a light rail project that was no longer welcomed in the community.鈥�

But, Cote said there must be a 鈥渟erious discussion鈥� about the City of 性视界传媒 鈥渞eimbursing the region鈥� for the millions already spent on the project 鈥済iven that it鈥檚 性视界传媒 that鈥檚 made that change in direction.鈥�

That $50 million, according to TransLink spokeswoman Jill Drews, has been spent on technical studies, preliminary design, planning, consultation and early works.

McCallum questioned the figure.

鈥淚鈥檝e asked TransLink where that figure comes from, line by line. Where did they get to that? At this point they鈥檝e refused to give it to me. I don鈥檛 believe it,鈥� said the incoming mayor, adding that things like staff time can鈥檛 be part of the equation.

See also: 性视界传媒鈥檚 mayor-elect McCallum has big promises to keep

See also: SkyTrain for 性视界传媒 wants LRT pulled from Mayors鈥� Council plan

McCallum said switching technologies, like he intends to do for 性视界传媒, isn鈥檛 unprecedented.

鈥淲hen I was (TransLink) chairman doing other lines, TransLink spent money studying light rail down the Arbutus corridor and the people in Vancouver didn鈥檛 want that. They wanted it switched to SkyTrain technology down Cambie Street. They never requested Vancouver pay back the fees that were spent,鈥� he noted.

In all, the fully funded and approved 性视界传媒-Newton-Guildford LRT line was estimated to cost $1.65 billion. Some have expressed doubt about whether 性视界传媒 mayor-elect Doug McCallum can get his envisioned SkyTrain extension along Fraser Highway to Langley built with the money already on the table.

TransLink says that a 16.5 kilometre SkyTrain line along Fraser Highway to Langley would cost about $2.9 billion, according to a preliminary cost estimates report completed in 2017. That cost is something that would have to be updated during a business case preparation stage, TransLink noted.

But McCallum insists the line can be done with the money that鈥檚 been committed, partly because he intends for part of the system to be built 鈥渁t grade,鈥� or at ground level, which would 鈥渟ignificantly鈥� reduce the price tag.

And, because of the total cost of the Evergreen Line.

鈥淭he Evergreen Line came in a year-and-a-half ago at $1.4 billion,鈥� said McCallum. 鈥淪o we think that even if you add inflation, and maybe the cost of some of the materials to be a little bit more, that we can still build it along Fraser Highway at $1.65 billion.鈥�

According to McCallum, TransLink鈥檚 estimates 鈥渁s far as rapid transit are not very accurate.鈥�

Cote said he doesn鈥檛 believe McCallum鈥檚 envisioned line can be built for that price.

鈥淣o, I don鈥檛. I think TransLink has already done those estimates. The difference between light rail and SkyTrain is an extra billion dollars,鈥� Cote remarked, noting that it鈥檚 his understanding that even if part of the line is at-grade, it鈥檚 still going to be far more expensive.

鈥淪o this shift from light rail to SkyTrain is definitely an option that can be considered. But the negative to that is the 性视界传媒 perspective, and it will likely mean that far less of 性视界传媒 is going to be covered in rapid transit,鈥� Cote added. 鈥淚t鈥檚 important to recognized that funding will not get you SkyTrain all the way to Langley City. It鈥檚 been unfortunate that misinformation is being put out.鈥�

Meantime, there has been speculation about whether the federal funding earmarked for 性视界传媒鈥檚 LRT line will be able to be utilized for a SkyTrain line.

McCallum says it can be, and the federal government seems warm to the idea.

After McCallum was elected on Oct. 20, Liberal Fleetwood-Port Kells MP Ken Hardie said if he could get the region鈥檚 mayor鈥檚 behind his SkyTrain vision, the federal government would sign off on transferring LRT funding.

鈥淭he regional level will be the first step,鈥� Hardie told the Now-Leader.

鈥淩ight now what we have is an agreement between the region, province, and federal government on a plan. The plan was a result of a lot of work, some of it was consultative, some of it was technical. The plan right now specifies LRT for the L-Line. The federal government rarely, rarely, if ever gets so deep into a project to try to interfere with the type of technology and the route,鈥� Hardie elaborated.

Hardie said as long as there are 鈥渘o really huge variances鈥� in the hypothetical new plan, he expects the federal government will transfer the rapid transit funds.

See also: Trudeau 鈥榦fficially launches鈥� SNG light rail transit line in 性视界传媒

See also: VIDEOS: LRT car showcased for first time in 性视界传媒

Meantime, the City of 性视界传媒 had planned to contribute $24.5 million to the light rail plan, something approved by the outgoing 性视界传媒 First council.

One of the major contributions would have been the city releasing the city-owned lands in the Newton Town Centre to allow for re-alignment of 137th Street. Another planned contribution was the use of city-owned properties on 144th Street for the construction of a LRT power substation.

But that money hasn鈥檛 been spent, according to city hall.

The $24.5 million 鈥渋s related to land contributions in some form and none of the R/W or city lands have been released or transferred,鈥� wrote Melanie Gaboriault, manager of communications for the SNG-LRT line, in an email to the Now-Leader.

It has been reported in other media that the City of 性视界传媒 has spent $20 milllion in pre-construction costs, but the city has not yet responded to a Now-Leader request for clarification.

amy.reid@surreynowleader.com
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