TransLink to host first board meeting open to the public on Friday

In a move of increased transparency, TransLink has announced they will be hosting their first ever open board meeting on Friday.

The public is invited to attend the fall quarterly board meeting on Friday, September 25 from 9 a.m. to noon and share their concerns during a one hour public input session.

The open meeting comes after a summer of leadership transitions that included the dismissal of three major executives and a new interim CEO, Cathy McLay. The provincial government also moved former Minister of Education, Peter Fassbender, into the position of TransLink minister during an August cabinet shuffle.

Items on the agenda for the Friday meeting include financial, major projects and operating company updates, stakeholder relations, banking and borrowing updates, compass card and faregate project updates and a public input session, among other issues.

“Friday’s open Board of Directors meeting is just one of several ways TransLink is making itself more transparent and accountable to the public,” said Chris Bryan, TransLink media relations advisor. “The open meeting keeps the promise made by current board chair Barry Forbes at TransLink’s Annual General Meeting in June. We are improving transparency for our customers and stakeholders, making more information available than ever before.”

Forbes notified the public in June that all quarterly board meetings would be available to the public, saying: “This is the next step in improving transparency for our customers and stakeholders. We welcome public scrutiny and we expect the public to hold us to account.”

The public input session will take place from 11 a.m. to noon and anyone who wishes to make a presentation to the board would have already needed to apply by 8 a.m. on September 23.