EVEN as Transportation Minister Rob Fleming announced on Thursday that the Surrey-Langley Skytrain extension will be finished two years ahead of schedule, the NDP pointed out that as Transportation Minister in 2008, B.C. Liberal leader Kevin Falcon promised to extend Expo Line service in Surrey by 2020. But he didn’t secure the federal and municipal funding to get the job done.
As Finance Minister four years later, Falcon refused to fund the project in his budget, the NDP said.
The project now underway is scheduled for completion in 2028, two years earlier than first estimated under the NDP – but eight years later than it would have opened if Falcon kept his promise, the NDP noted.
NDP MLA Jagrup Brar said: “Kevin Falcon told people in Surrey he’d get the Skytrain expansion built for them, but he chose to cut taxes for the richest 1% instead. His broken promise has kept people stuck in traffic another eight years. We’re getting it done so we can save people money and help them get home to their families faster.”