SkyTrain for Surrey, not LRT!

B.C. ELECTION: Langley voters send strong message that it's time to build SkyTrain to Langley City​

MEDIA RELEASE October 24, 2020・Surrey, BC

Langley City and South Langley Township voters have sent a strong message that it’s time to build the full 16-kilometre Surrey-Langley SkyTrain—with the projected election of B.C. NDP candidate Andrew Mercier in Langley City (taking a seat long-held by B.C. Liberal house MLA Mary Polak) and furthermore the projected election, province-wide, of a B.C. NDP majority government.

The vote numbers in the Langley district shows that residents want SkyTrain built. In 2018, Andrew Mercier noted that discussions to bring SkyTrain to Langley have been ongoing since the 1990s. With the growth situation in Surrey and Langley, this extension is now long overdue.

SkyTrain for Surrey thanks the B.C. NDP for their strong commitment to building all 16 kilometres of the proposed Surrey-Langley SkyTrain in a single phase, reflected in their score in our Surrey-Langley SkyTrain voters guide. The B.C. Liberals received significantly lower ratings in our voters’ guide, which assessed parties’ willingness to build the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain and found that the B.C. Liberals did not make strong commitments to build the full extension.

*Update, October 25th: this statement has been edited to reflect that current district wins are projected, due to counting of mail-in ballots.

How did the parties do on commitments for the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain?

 BC NDPB.C. Green PartyB.C. LiberalsB.C. Conservatives
Approving the SLS business caseYES
will approve
YES
will approve
LIKELY
indicated support
YES
will approve
Committing funds from Fleetwood to LangleyYES
will make SLS a provincial capital project
LIKELY
committed to Mayors’ vision
UNCERTAIN
has indicated support but not $ in budget
YES
is in support of the full project
Completing the SLS in a single phaseYES
all 16km through provincial project
LIKELY
committed to Mayors’ vision
UNLIKELY
has not made a specific commitment
YES
is in support of the full project
Prioritizing SLS to ensure it can proceed without delaysYES
has indicated SLS is the next priority
YES
Mayors’ vision sets SLS as the next transpo priority
UNLIKELY
Massey Bridge + highway projects could delay SLS
YES
prioritize SLS first, then push for new transit to E. Langley, Fraser Valley
Keeping TransLink in good financial shapeYES
extensive pre-election support to be retained
YES
extensive support retained + financing reform
UNCERTAIN
lack of response when asked by Mayors’ Council
LIKELY
given specific support for SLS; otherwise no particular position
Strongest commitment to building the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain: BC NDP

View the PDF copy of our guide below:

Download the PDF file #LANGLEYNEXT – SkyTrain for Surrey B.C. Election 2020 Voters' Guide.

 
 

About SkyTrain for Surrey

SkyTrain for Surrey is the community organization that advocated for the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain extension, and continues to push for high-quality rapid transit projects in Surrey and Langley. We began as a petition calling for the scrapping of a street-level LRT proposal, which eventually amassed more than 6,000 signatures, and later contributed to making SkyTrain an election issue as a registered third-party advertiser. SkyTrain for Surrey continues to call for high-quality projects that offer a positive return-on-investment and recognize the rapidly increasing demand for transit.

Media Contact:

Daryl Dela Cruz ​– Founder, SkyTrain for Surrey
Phone: +1 604 329 3529, [email protected]

Langley voters send strong message that it’s time to build SkyTrain to Langley City