Metro Vancouver Board recommends mayors’ council take control of TransLink

VANCOUVER – Metro Vancouver district officials want to take the besieged regional transportation authority known as TransLink under their wing.

The board of elected officials representing the region is asking the province to make a change in law that puts TransLink in the hands of the mayor’s council instead of the B.C. government.

Board chairman Greg Moore says the change would strengthen ties between the region’s transportation system and land-use planning.

He says the legislative change would address concerns over TransLink’s governance, which has been accused of wasteful spending and was a major issue during a transit tax plebiscite that was rejected by the public earlier this year.

The recommendation comes from a task force struck in September to address the governance issues, and on Tuesday it was fully endorsed by the board.

Task force chairman Mike Clay says the issues facing public transit in Metro Vancouver will only be achieved if elected officials are responsible.