Mayoral candidate Colleen Hardwick promises to put UBC SkyTrain on hold

Mayoral candidate Colleen Hardwick promises to put UBC SkyTrain plans on hold

UBC SkyTrain extension corridor map. (TransLink)

Metro Vancouver’s mayors can have a real impact on whether their city receives a big share of regional public transit investments through their advocacy and partaking in the negotiation table with TransLink, the Mayors’ Council, and the provincial and federal governments.

When Dianne Watts was the mayor of Surrey, she switched long-held regional and provincial plans for SkyTrain in Surrey in favour of street-level light rail transit (LRT). Those plans were reversed in 2018 with the return of Doug McCallum to the mayoral seat, swept in by widespread public opposition against LRT.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Daily Hive Vancouver (@dailyhivevancouver)

In West Vancouver, after a public outcry and City Council’s vote of opposition in 2019, TransLink withdrew its plan to bring the North Shore’s east-west RapidBus line from Phibbs Exchange to as far west as Dundarave. Instead, the RapidBus route’s western terminus was placed at Park Royal, and the funding for the West Vancouver segment was redirected to expediting a RapidBus route serving Surrey and Delta, which will enter service in 2023.

In Burnaby, the consideration for the Burnaby Mountain gondola transit line reaching Simon Fraser University gained new momentum only after the 2018 election of Mike Hurley as mayor. Longtime mayor Derek Corrigan, who had resisted the idea for a decade, was ousted.

During his decade as Vancouver’s mayor, Gregor Robertson’s advocacy and lobbying was particularly instrumental in advancing the SkyTrain Millennium Line Broadway Extension to Arbutus, now under construction.

You might also like:

Fundamentally, major public transit investments are only realized if they have the full, unwavering support of the municipal government’s leadership. TransLink

So with all that said, where do the Vancouver mayoral candidates stand on the planned SkyTrain Millennium Line extension from Arbutus to the University of British Columbia (UBC)?

translink ubc skytrain route options april 2022

TransLink’s recommended route and station locations for UBC SkyTrain, April 2022. (TransLink)

Terminus station location for the UBC SkyTrain extension of the Millennium Line, April 2022. (TransLink)

This past year, after Vancouver City Council endorsed a potential route and station serving the Jericho Lands development, TransLink outlined its proposed route and station locations west of Arbutus to reach UBC.

According to TransLink’s most recent public survey on UBC SkyTrain in Spring 2021, 92% of over 15,000 respondents from across the region support the extension.

A business case and extensive detailed design work still need to be performed on this project, along with securing the provincial and federal funding to cover the multi-billion dollar construction cost.

Ahead of the 2022 civic election, here is what Daily Hive Urbanized heard when they interviewed the five major Vancouver mayoral candidates:

Forward Together: Kennedy Stewart

Yes, the incumbent and Forward Together support UBC SkyTrain.

“Transit has been a huge priority of mine,” said Forward Together mayoral candidate Kennedy Stewart, noting that the provincial government recently committed to providing funding for its cost share of the detailed analysis for the business case and further design work. The federal government also previously committed to covering 40% of this analysis work.

“This has been a huge effort convincing the provincial government, federal government, First Nations, and UBC, as well as the Mayors’ Council.”

During his first term, the mayor established a partnership between the municipal government, UBC, and MST Development Corporation — the development arm of the three local First Nations behind the development of the Jericho Lands — to advocate for the UBC SkyTrain.

If all goes as planned, Stewart expects UBC SkyTrain will open in 2030.

Since the interview, Forward Together has rolled out a vision of a “Vancouver Loop” SkyTrain network that includes the existing Expo Line, 2025-built Millennium Line Broadway Extension to Arbutus, future Millennium Line extension from Arbutus to UBC, and a future east-west SkyTrain extension along 41st Avenue and 49th Avenue from Metrotown to UBC. The 41st/49th Avenue SkyTrain is already highlighted in TransLink’s Transport 2050 plan and the City of Vancouver’s Vancouver Plan.

ABC Vancouver: Ken Sim

Yes, Ken Sim and ABC Vancouver support UBC SkyTrain.

“We will definitely advocate for SkyTrain out to UBC. It just makes sense. UBC is a big employer, it’s where all the students go. It just makes absolute sense,” said ABC Vancouver mayoral candidate Ken Sim.

“We’re taking a long-term view. When it comes to the city, transportation plays a big part. If we don’t get it figured out, our city is not going to succeed in the future.”

Sim also brought to attention his desire to advocate for other public transit projects, specifically an east-west SkyTrain extension along Hastings Street from downtown Vancouver to the eastern communities, a SkyTrain connection to the North Shore, and RapidBus or bus rapid transit (BRT) along Marine Drive from the Canada Line’s Marine Drive Station to Vancouver’s Fraser Lands and other points eastward. Future rapid transit projects for these corridors are also outlined in TransLink’s Transport 2050 plan and the City of Vancouver’s Vancouver Plan.

Progress Vancouver: Mark Marissen

Yes, Mark Marissen and Progress Vancouver support UBC SkyTrain.

“We need it to UBC, it just makes sense,” said Progress Vancouver mayoral candidate Mark Marissen.

“It is half-finished,” referring to the decision to end the under-construction Millennium Broadway Extension at Arbutus.

“I know there’s a consensus that we need to do this, but we still need to secure funding. My goal is to get shovels built.”

Marissen has also indicated he would bring back the Olympic Line streetcar that temporarily ran along South False Creek between the Canada Line’s Olympic Village Station and Granville Island during the 2010 Olympics, and transform a stretch of the Granville Entertainment District in downtown Vancouver into an all-weather protected, well-lit, pedestrian-friendly area with active uses of restaurants, retail, and entertainment establishments.

Non-Partisan Association: Fred Harding

Yes, Fred Harding and the Non-Partisan Association (NPA) support UBC SkyTrain.

“We need to have an efficient-transit system. We have 50,000 international students coming to Vancouver every year,” said NPA mayoral candidate Fred Harding.

“We have a world-class university, and we need to service that in a way that we bring more people here, and not discourage them. I’ll fight for not only an efficient transit system, but one that is also accessible and affordable to students, seniors, and parents.”

TEAM: Colleen Hardwick

No, Colleen Hardwick and TEAM For A Livable Vancouver do not support UBC SkyTrain.

“This city was built on a streetcar grid, and as we look into the future and consider density for the city as a whole, it makes a lot more sense to have distributed transportation. Density without transit is just dense,” said current Vancouver city councillor and TEAM mayoral candidate Colleen Hardwick.

“Having said that, the tower and subway model that we’ve already implemented will lead to tower densification of up to 40 storeys, and I’m not persuaded that this is the best model for densifying across the city. I’d like to see a more distributed approach for surface rail across the city.”

Instead of advocating for UBC SkyTrain, if elected, Hardwick and TEAM will hold a city-wide public consultation on this SkyTrain extension, and compare it with other alternative options, including “a detailed public presentation and discussion of environmental assessments, as well as the costs and benefits of each option.”

During the 2018 civic election campaign, Hardwick, who was running under the NPA at the time, also made known her strong preference for streetcar or LRT for not only the Millennium Line Broadway Extension route to Arbutus, but also from Arbutus to UBC.

Hardwick and COPE city councillor Jean Swanson were also the only votes in opposition in City Council’s January 2019 decision to endorse rapid transit to UBC as a continuous SkyTrain extension. In March 2022, Hardwick also cast the only vote against the concept for a Jericho Lands Station and route for UBC SkyTrain.

Additionally, Hardwick is promising to revoke both the Broadway Plan and Vancouver Plan of densifying the city, which were approved by City Council this past summer. The Broadway Plan, in particular, was triggered by the Millennium Line Broadway Extension to Arbutus, and TransLink and the provincial government’s requirement for the municipal government to densify near the future stations in exchange for the investment.

Daily Hive will provide ongoing coverage leading to the October 15 civic election. Click here to access our civic election hub for the latest.

You might also like: