The newly re-elected chair of the Capital Regional District Board says with new faces at the board table from Langford and Metchosin, there’s reason to believe Greater Victoria could finally get a regional transportation authority.
Colin Plant said the new directors from Langford and Metchosin have indicated they intend to work more co-operatively with the board, which could translate into a transportation authority that would establish priorities and speak with a unified voice to senior governments.
“The previous directors, for whatever reason, were a little bit more tepid in wanting to work with the CRD,” said Plant.
The Saanich councillor said when he decided he would run again for the chair’s position, he spoke with all new incoming directors, and new Langford Mayor Scott Goodmanson, Langford Coun. Lillian Szpak and new Metchosin Mayor Marie-Terese Little told him they were there to work together.
“We’ve been talking about transportation forever, but we are at the stage now where the board is ready to say we want some sort of transportation service and probably some sort of authority,” he said.
“In the last term I wouldn’t have had much optimism for that to occur because I’m not sure we would’ve been able to agree.
“Now I think we are going to be able to find something that we all agree on because the directors from Langford are saying they recognize Langford needs to be part of the discussion when it comes to transportation.”
The new Langford mayor attended the CRD board meeting this week — something his predecessor Stew Young never did, choosing to send councillors to the regional district board instead, Goodmanson said.
“That’s a new development because there has been no [Langford] mayor at the table in 29 years,” he said, adding: “We can’t be isolated anymore.”
Goodmanson said he hopes the district plays a significant role in CRD discussions on both a regional transportation strategy and an updated growth strategy. “You can’t be part of that if you’re not at the table,” he said. “You can’t have one municipality saying: ‘I’m not part of this’ even though all its residents are.”
Little said she is excited to be at the CRD board table and while she will be fighting Metchosin’s corner, she is committed to being open and co-operative.
“Overall, co-operation, collaboration, good decision making and engagement with our neighbours was certainly something that I’ve talked about and it should be a priority for everybody in this region,” said Little. “We have common goals, so there’s no reason for us to be adversarial.”
Plant said at one point during the last term, he thought there was a chance a regional transportation authority could have been established, but it fell apart when the West Shore pulled its support.
Opponents worried their priorities might be overshadowed by those of the core municipalities and that a new CRD service would only add bureaucracy and cost.
Former Metchosin mayor John Ranns, meanwhile, maintained his rural municipality didn’t need the transportation infrastructure and already had misgivings about the way the CRD handled large projects, like the wastewater treatment plant.
Plant said the board’s priorities will be determined over the next month, but he believes regional transportation planning is one, alongside more focus on health care and housing.
Plant said good transportation planning will complement planning for supportive and affordable housing and key services.
