Kareem Allam's Vancouver Liberals call for viaducts demolition and UBC SkyTrain | Daily Hive

Kareem Allam's Vancouver Liberals call for viaducts demolition, UBC SkyTrain, and the adoption of the B.C. Building Code

Georgia Viaduct and Rogers Arena in downtown Vancouver. (Kenneth Chan)

Mayoral candidate Kareem Allam of the Vancouver Liberals civic party wants B.C.’s provincial political parties to commit to extending SkyTrain’s Millennium Line to the University of British Columbia (UBC), demolishing the Dunsmuir and Georgia viaducts, and bringing both UBC’s self-governed area and the adjoining University Endowment Lands (UEL) into the City of Vancouver’s municipal jurisdiction.

Such proposals form most of the party’s five-point “Vancouver Economic Agenda” released yesterday, with Allam asserting that the overlapping municipal and provincial election campaigns offer an opportunity to secure support for major projects.

Civic elections in Vancouver and in other B.C. municipalities are scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 17, followed by the snap provincial general election — called by Premier David Eby — a week later on Saturday, Oct. 24.

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“B.C., Vancouver and every other city in this province haven’t been rowing in the same direction,” said Allam.

“Voters now get to make two choices one week apart. Some would rather talk about the calendar. I’d rather talk about what Vancouver needs and make sure every party seeking to govern this province has to answer for it.”

The Vancouver Liberals note that they will share their economic agenda to every provincial party leader and record the commitments they receive.

On public transit, Allam is seeking both funding and a construction schedule for extending SkyTrain to UBC.

That would take the Millennium Line beyond the Broadway Subway project currently being built between the existing VCC-Clark Station and the new Arbutus Station. The project reaching Arbutus is scheduled to open in late 2027, with a truncated 99 B-Line bus service completing the remaining journey to the campus — until the further SkyTrain extension reaches UBC.

The provincial government has repeatedly stated that, while it has completed a significant portion of the project’s business case, it is deferring to the timeline set by TransLink’s Mayors’ Council. Under that schedule, the SkyTrain extension would proceed sometime in the first half of the 2030s, during the second half of the current 10-year expansion and improvement plan. So far, Premier Eby’s BC NDP administration has rejected advocacy calls for the UBC SkyTrain project to be expedited, with the provincial government also slowing down its pace on new major capital projects due to steep annual provincial budget deficits and soaring debt.

Allam also wants the provincial government to set out the legislative steps needed to bring UBC and the UEL into the City of Vancouver’s control. Allam argues amalgamation would give residents a municipal voice through Vancouver’s municipal government and allow the areas to be planned together.

Eligible voters living at UBC and in the UEL can currently only vote for Vancouver School Board trustees, but not for mayor, Vancouver City Council, and Vancouver Park Board.

Currently, the UBC campus is self-governed by the university administration, while the B.C. Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs provides the UEL with municipal governance and services, with the minister acting as UEL’s de facto mayor. The provincial government recently examined potential options that include amalgamating the area with the City.

As previously reported by Daily Hive Urbanized, since his formal nomination as the party’s mayoral candidate in Fall 2025, Allam has consistently pushed to expand Vancouver’s municipal boundaries to include UBC and the UEL, and to extend SkyTrain to the university.

In Northeast False Creek, Allam is calling for the provincial government’s involvement to speed up the demolition of the Dunsmuir and Georgia viaducts. The party presents the removal of the arterial road structures as a way to make room for new housing, employment spaces, and public parks.

For years, the City’s plans to remove the viaducts and implement the Northeast False Creek Plan have been held up for years by stalled major market condominium developments in the area. Revenue from those projects was originally expected to cover the cost of demolishing the viaducts and building a replacement road network at ground level, along with other public benefits. At the same time, the estimated cost of such works has grown considerably, especially since the pandemic.

Another request is for faster provincial investment in the utilities needed to better support growth, including water and sewer systems, clean energy, and greater electricity capacity.

The platform also sets out changes the Vancouver Liberals would pursue at Vancouver City Hall if elected, including adopting the B.C. Building Code in full and simplifying the permitting process.

The City currently uses its own building bylaw, which incorporates the provincial code with additional provisions specific to Vancouver’s municipal government. All other municipal governments separately follow the B.C. Building Code regulated by the provincial government.

The party also notes that it would bring 12 municipal permitting departments together to give applicants a single point of contact.

“The time for incrementalism is over,” said Allam. “Vancouver is the economic engine of this province. When Vancouver succeeds, B.C. succeeds. It’s time for big swings, and this election is the moment to take them.”

The Vancouver Liberals note that they will not be endorsing any provincial party for the provincial election. It should also be emphasized that the Vancouver Liberals are not affiliated with the provincial and federal parties of the same name.

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