Calgary eyeing up Vancouver plebiscite
Posted Mar 17, 2015 6:50 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Calgary City Council is keeping close tabs on a plebiscite in Vancouver to increase taxes in exchange for huge upgrades to transit and travel.
The idea is to bring in a 0.5-per cent sales tax to pay for more ferries, a new bridge, and a rapid train system.
Calgary councillor Sean Chu tells City News he likes the fact that a contentious issue is being put to the public, something he’d like to see here.
“For example, the secondary suites that came to council 38 times, obviously it’s a big issue and cannot be resolved and it cannot be death by a thousand cuts till we get there, so why don’t we put it to the people?” Chu said.
Councillor Ward Sutherland said he likes the idea for Calgary’s transit plans and other major issues.
“If we are ever going to proceed with any kind of plebiscite for council, we have to decide what the percentage is and commit to it. The end result is the end result. We have to make that decision beforehand and what people decide we need to honor it,” Sutherland said.
If the plebiscite in Vancouver passes, authorities would collect about $7.5 billion over 10 years.
