THE NDP on Sunday mocked BC Conservative Leader John Rustad, pointing out that his handpicked BC Conservative candidate, Linda Hepner, has expressed strong support for the mobility tax.

It pointed to a May 2018 CBC report:

“It is not for the faint of heart, politically, and we recognize that,” said Surrey Mayor Linda Hepner.  “What fundamentally the commission has done, is really getting us out of the gate with a very difficult discussion, but one that needs to be had.”

Hepner was one of several mayors at the meeting who expressed general support for the concept of mobility pricing, but cautioned that it would face difficulty gaining traction with much of the public, particularly those who live in areas where transit is less accessible.  (CBC, May 2018)

It also pointed to a January 2018 Black Press report:

Hepner did muse on the possibility of distance-based charging by time and place potentially taking truckers off the road during rush hour.

“If you’re travelling the busiest time of the day as opposed to when you could be travelling to do deliveries at a less important time,” said Hepner.

“I expect that will all be part of the next analysis.”
(Black Press, Jan 2018)

The NDP asked: “Does this mean John Rustad also supports a mobility tax?”

It added: “[Premier] David Eby has ruled out mobility pricing. And TransLink has also recently rejected charging drivers for road usage. The BC NDP took the tolls off the Golden Ears and Port Mann bridges. Under a David Eby government, there will be no mobility pricing.”

The NDP said: “The BC NDP increased taxes for the top 2% and used the money to reduce costs for everyday people. Middle-class families now pay much less provincial tax than they did under John Rustad, and people in BC earning $150,000 or less pay the lowest personal income tax among provinces.”