TransLink eliminates planning VP – The Sacrificial Lamb

It seems that transit planning is/was not aAi??TransLink forte, in fact the move to remove the VP of Planning certainly indicates that the Premier’s office is in full control of Metro Vancouver transportation planning and no encumbrances from the TransLink bureaucracy is needed.Ai??TransLink’s VP of planning has been determined to be the sacrificial lamb with the Premier’s sideshow audit of TransLink!

Transit planning was never a TransLink strong point, rather TransLink’s planners played lick-spittle with provincial politicians with their own transit diktats. What this move proves is that TransLink is nothing more than an arm of the provincial governmentAi??with its wants and wishes. If there was any more credible evidence for South Fraser municipalities to withdraw from TransLink the time is now, the province has shown its hand and it is time to act.

It is also suspicious that the then Minister of Transportation, a one Kevin Falcon, is now the Minister responsible for the Ministry of Finance, the very same ministry undertaking the audit of TransLink! The fear that BC’s Auditor General would audit TransLink is so great; that he would uncover many politically unpleasant things, such as ill-found Liberal government inspiredAi??P-3 transit projectsAi??prior to the next election, the Premier had to have her people undertake the audit so she and her government could control the outcome.

AdiA?s TransLink, your time has come.

TransLink eliminates planning VP as part of restructuring

TransLink has shuffled its many departments and eliminated its executive vice-president of policy and planning.

By Mike Hager, Vancouver Sun April 20, 2012

TransLink has shuffled its many departments and eliminated its executive vice-president of policy and planning.

In a memo to employees sent yesterday, CEO Ian Jarvis announced the company was permanently eliminating Michael Shiffer, who left a teaching job in Chicago to come to TransLink three years ago, and his planning position.

The move is part of a wider restructuring of departments, by folding them into one another TransLink hopes to save more money after a $20-million fare hike proposal was denied by commissioner Martin Crilly.

“I recognize this restructuring is significant in scope, and there will be many questions from team members as we adjust,” wrote Jarvis in the memo. “I am confident that the changes will help us respond to the current environment and realize our commitment to delivering quality service for the millions of rides on our network each day in the most cost-effective and efficient way possible.”

TransLink on Tuesday announced it will postpone its scheduled transit expansion plans, including a B-Line bus service along King George Boulevard and a rapid bus on Highway 1 over the Port Mann Bridge, until it can find alternative funding sources to pay for them.

Jarvis said the decision was made after the mayorsai??i?? council on regional transportation announced that it would not increase property taxes next year for the planned transit services. A temporary property tax had been promised in TransLinkai??i??s supplementary funding plan as a backup plan for 2013-14 to generate $30 million annually if the province and mayors couldnai??i??t come up with alternative funding sources.

But the mayors last week voted to scrap the temporary property tax after the provincial government rejected its proposed revenue sources, which included a vehicle levy and regional carbon tax. The province instead said it would look for cost-saving measures within the organization.