Why does Christy Clark think only some British Columbians should have to pay bridge tolls?: NDP

Garry Begg

ON Tuesday, Premier Christy Clark attacked NDP Leader John Horgan’s plan to eliminate tolls on the Port Mann and Golden Ears bridges and bizarrely, she claimed the BC NDP plan would favour some British Columbians at the cost of others, said the NDP.
But the reality is that John Horgan’s plan would simply treat the people of Surrey and Maple Ridge the same as everyone else in BC. No other bridge in British Columbia has tolls. And that’s the way it should be. This is about fairness, the NDP pointed out.
It said that it was Christy Clark’s Liberals that decided to break with tradition and impose tolls on the Port Mann and Golden Ears bridges. The real question is why Christy Clark believes residents of Surrey and Maple Ridge should continue to be the only people in British Columbia who should pay to cross a bridge.

Garry Begg, BC NDP candidate for Surrey-Guildford, said: “Christy Clark can’t hide the fact that it was her party that decided to impose tolls on the Port Mann and Golden Ears bridges. She should explain why she believes the people of Surrey and Maple Ridge should continue to be the only British Columbians forced to pay to cross a local bridge. That’s just not fair.”

1 COMMENT

  1. I’m one of many who go out of my way — or just doesn’t go — to avoid crossing the toll bridges. It’s my way of making a ‘gesture’ to the BC Liberals.

    Removing the tolls would give a real boost to the economies on both sides of the river. As it is now, south-side residents have an incentive to cross the border for a day-trip, rather than venture into Vancouver. Fuel bought in Washington State provides no road taxes to BC and goods and services bought there provide no (or little) tax revenue, as the border agents often don’t bother collecting sales taxes on purchases of $200 or less.

    I suspect it’s tens of thousand$ per day that are lost to cross-border shopping, solely because of the Port Mann bridge tolls.

Comments are closed.