After Metro Vancouver voters overwhelmingly rejected the proposed TransLink tax July 2, the Greater Langley Chamber of Commerce issued a statement affirming it made the right decision to oppose it.
“The Greater Langley Chamber of Commerce was the only board of trade in Metro Vancouver that did not support the “Yes” campaign in the Translink tax referendum,” said chamber president Scott Johnston on the day of the voting results.
“The issue was carefully reviewed and vigorously debated by our board of directors, and the Greater Langley Chamber of Commerce released its official position of “No” to the 0.5 per cent tax hike on Dec. 17, 2014.
After the No vote, Johnston said:
“We are in alignment with the core values of the members that we serve. [The] voting results reaffirm that the Greater Langley Chamber of Commercehas been, and shall continue to be, the voice of business for Langley.”
Specifically, Langley Chamber was concerned with the lack of stated mechanisms to mitigate economic leakage of consumers shopping in Abbotsford and cross-border to avoid paying the regional tax, the lack of proposed improvements and investments in Langley itself, and the risk of South of Fraser investments being deferred or delayed if the other larger projects go beyond the original budgets or incur construction delays and the inevitable cost overruns, Johnston continued.
“The efficient movement of people, goods and services has been a priority concern of the Greater Langley Chamber of Commerce for the past several years.
“The Chamber board looks forward to working with our elected representatives at all levels of government to identify a sustainable funding source that is equitable and provides the ability to impact transportation management throughout the Metro Vancouver region.”