Evidence of meeting #58 for Transport, Infrastructure and Communities in the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was projects.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4:15 p.m.
City Manager, City of Surrey
Thank you.
It's not necessarily a final decision to procure by P3 means. We got screened in, which means we did the initial steps of determining there's enough value in the system to warrant further analysis. But it will need a full business case, which will be presented later this spring, to truly determine the value for money of going in that direction. It's not a final decision by any means, but it's part of the continuum of looking at how we would procure such a large system.
4:15 p.m.
Conservative
Peter Braid Conservative Kitchener—Waterloo, ON
Okay.
To continue that consideration as a potential P3 then, if the project is approved and it is procured as a P3, who would own the system? Would the private sector own the public transit system or would the City of Surrey own the public transit system?
4:15 p.m.
Mayor, City of Surrey
The system would be one of TransLink, which is a regional system. They would own it.
4:15 p.m.
Conservative
Peter Braid Conservative Kitchener—Waterloo, ON
Is TransLink a public sector body or a private sector body?
4:15 p.m.
Conservative
Peter Braid Conservative Kitchener—Waterloo, ON
Thank you.
Even if a project is procured as a P3, it of course is still owned by the public sector. Just to confirm, is that correct?
4:15 p.m.
Mayor, City of Surrey
A concessionaire would maintain and operate the system.
4:15 p.m.
Conservative
Peter Braid Conservative Kitchener—Waterloo, ON
Exactly, but it's still owned by TransLink, by the consortium of the cities and municipalities.
4:15 p.m.
Conservative
4:15 p.m.
Conservative
Peter Braid Conservative Kitchener—Waterloo, ON
Thank you.
Mayor Hepner, could you briefly elaborate on the TransLink mayors' council? I believe you're a member.
4:15 p.m.
Mayor, City of Surrey
I am a member, as is my colleague, Mayor Corrigan.
It is a consortium of all the mayors of the region. I believe the number is at 22.
4:15 p.m.
Conservative
4:15 p.m.
Mayor, City of Surrey
I was going to add to that.
There is a consortium of all the mayors of the region, and they act as an advocacy towards TransLink and the TransLink governance. We have two members—I am one of them—who sit on the board of directors of TransLink. The mayors' council provides us with the guidance and direction that they would like me, and the other member, the chair, to deliver.
4:15 p.m.
Conservative
Peter Braid Conservative Kitchener—Waterloo, ON
Mayor Corrigan, what are your thoughts on TransLink?
4:15 p.m.
Mayor, City of Burnaby
TransLink is a very flawed system.
The system was taken away from local governments as a result of local mayors being originally opposed to the Canada Line being prioritized over the line to Coquitlam. Then-minister Kevin Falcon removed the mayors from control of TransLink and subsequently set up the mayors' council. The council has no real powers in regard to the running of the system, aside from two of the mayors who are selected by weighted vote to sit on the board. As a result, the two largest cities have used their weighted vote to be on the board.
It's extremely frustrating. There is a consistent demand from the mayors in the region to regain control of TransLink and that the government change the system of governance that's been put in place. It's been a source of great frustration over the years and was considered to be vengeance for the mayors having opposed a provincial plan to prioritize the Canada Line for the Olympics.
4:15 p.m.
Conservative
Peter Braid Conservative Kitchener—Waterloo, ON
You mentioned the waste water regulations that you will need to meet.
Will Burnaby need to meet the 2020 requirements or the 2040?
4:15 p.m.
Mayor, City of Burnaby
It will be the 2020 requirements in regard to the waste water treatment facility at Lions Gate, and as a result it is the first priority for the region for infrastructure funding.
We have all agreed that even though this facility is on the north shore, it's of extreme importance for us to meet the guidelines that have been presented by the federal government for waste water going into the Burrard Inlet. Again, it has been very frustrating that we haven't been able to prioritize that project.
It also is a system that is integrated with the rest of the waste water and water treatment systems in metro Vancouver and would be very difficult to privatize. It would put a private sector operator in the middle of a system that is totally integrated.
That does not seem to have had much effect on our discussions with the federal government. In fact, though we presented a design, build, and finance model for the government to consider, we were told we must go through the privatization process, the P3 process. We've also received approvals from KPMG that it is not—
4:20 p.m.
Conservative
4:20 p.m.
Mayor, City of Burnaby
It's a project that is around $700 million to $800 million.