The Vancouver Sun from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada • 3

2247 Xjf 1. 2016 VANCOUVER SUN A3 City sees a sunny future for patios in Vancouver MATT ROBINSON fit- 1 fwt. TUESDAY. MAY 3 1 i it Hr- i i JL II it; jfS ffi 'o h. Mil- It, A.

11 I I IK i I I Port Coquitlam Mayor Greg Moore, speaking for the mayors' council, said Monday that Metro mayors don't understand why the B.C. Liberals have refused to pledge financial support for the region's 10-year, transportation plan, nick procaylo files Mayors, province haggle over transit funding Federal government has already committed $370 million to the plan City stair want to create a patio culture in Vancouver by boosting parklets and sidewalk patios and allowing so-called streateries. While the city already boasts more than 550 patios and a half-dozen parklets, the streatery concept already popular in a few U.S. cities, includingSeat tie wouldbe new to Vancouver and let businesses build seated patios in streetside parking spaces. Stall' are seeking approval for a three-year pilot that would allow 30such privately owned and maintained patios, according to a city plan slated forcouncil Wednesday.

Similar to the model used in Seattle, streateries would be operated by businesses and restricted to patrons during businesses hours. Outside of those hours, they would be open to the public. Staff have not yet figured out whalbusinesses wouldbe charged for the use of parking spaces. The idea has thebackingof Mayor Gregor Robertson, whocalled patios "a fantastic way to support local businesses" anddraw residents out into their neighbourhoods. The staff plan includes a recommendation to regularize Vancouver's parklet program.

While just six parklets have been built since the city's pilot launched in 2011, designs for another five are under review. Like streateries, parklets occupy parking spaces. They tend to include tables and chairs, and are sometimes landscaped. Most of Vancouver's parklets are on busy shopping routes like Main Street, Commercial Drive, West 4th Avenue and Robson Street, and while they are sponsored by businesses, they're owned by thecity and open to everyone. larger share of the federal gas tax and charging developers a regional fee for building around transit hubs.

The mayors have also asked the province to return control of TransLink to the mayors by the end of this year and redirect $50 million annually from a regional carbon tax fortransitprojects.but Fassbender said "the carbon tax will not be dedicated to transportation in this region." Moorenoted the province didn't require more information before approving a new Bridge to replace the tunnel, and even approved it before the business case was done. "These things evolve," he said. "There's no reason why conceptually they can't say, 'We see the plan has been funded and we're It's the principle of being a contributor to the transit and transportation plan for this region." Surrey Mayor Linda Hepner said she is anxious to get the provincial government to commit in writing to the full plan, noting that the required design work and analysis will cost tens of millions ol'dollars. "We need the commitment in writingbeforethcyearisoutorwe can't stand in front of the national st age," she said. 'If the ministry has already had that discussion up at the federal level this region needs to see that." twittcr.comkninoski ince is still committed to the rapid transit projects, but won't commit to the 10-year plan until it sees what money the federal government is putting on the table.

"I'm not going to sign a blank cheque without knowing what the funding parameters are," he said, noting the funding announced last week is a "sign of good faith and we will work with the region and the federal government on Phase 2 (of the plan)." The mayors have haggled with the provincial government for years over how to fund transportation across Metro Vancouver, suggesting measures such as a vehicle levy or regional carbon tax to generate dollars to expand the beleaguered system. A proposed sales tax was defeated by the public in a plebiscite last spring. The mayors maintain they have made huge concessions by agreeing to raise taxes and transit fares. Othcrnieasures in the mayors' plan include selling surplus TransLink properties, seeking city land for the proposed Vancouver subway and Surrey light rail lines, takinga KELLY SINOSKI Metro Vancouver mayors say they don't understand why the B.C. Liberals have refused to pledge financial support to the region 's 10-year, transportation plan, saying the move threatens to derail the entire project.

Port Coquitlam Mayor Greg Moore, spokesman for the mayors' council, said the federal government has already committed $370 million to the plan which includes more buses and ScuBus service hours, as well as light rail for Surrey and a subway for Vancouver while the mayors arc willing to boost taxes and transit fares to help come up with TransLink's contribution. But while the province said last week it will commit $246 million to the transportation plan, Trans-Link Minister Peter Fassbender insisted that money is only for the first phase and the province needs more det ails before it will fund the remainder. This has the mayors worried they could lose the federal money to other Canadian cities like Toronto and Montreal, which have all their funding on the table. The mayors insist he province had said it would fund one-third of the entire transportation plan, but Fassbender now says the commitment was only for the light rail and subway lines. "Regardless of whether they promised it or not, they should be bringing one-third (of funding) to the table," Moore said.

"I don't know why a rail project in Surrey or a subway in Vancouver is more important than a SeaBus on the North Shore or more buses for he northeast sector." Fassbender maintains the prov 0 PRINCESS CRUISEsYHp come back new- i. TRAVEL INSURANCE UPT0 K- FREE AIR No Age Restriction Pre-Existing Condition Waived No Medical Questionnaire I. TOKYO to SINGAPORE 17 DAY OCT 9, 2016 Visiting: Osaka, Busan, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Ho Chi Minh Cily, Bangkok 10 Days Cruise 4 NTS HOTEL Sep 25, 201 6 19 Days Cruise Oct 04, 2016 Vancouver to Ft. Lauderdale, visiting: Astoria, San Francisco, Cabo San Lucas, Huatulco, Puerto Chiapas, Puerto Caldera, Cartagena Vancouver to Honolulu, visiting: Astoria, San Diego -it -a- wAIR TRAVEL INSURANCE5 mum BEIJING to SYDNEY ri DAY OCT 17, 2016 Visiting: Osaka, Taipei, Hong Kong, Nha Tiang, Ho Chi Minh City, Bali, Darwin, Brisbane wAIR MMWBwTjj Til i mi i nni rtr i -in i EM rnr k. i TRAVEL INSURANCE' i i mi him ii iir in jvziiii ii.Mi PWBEr'-i TRAVEL INSURANCE SHIPBOARD CREDIT rMM- 0 4 NT POST HOTEL UflSS TRAVEL INSURANCE1 1 SINGAPORE to BEIJING REVERSE ITINERARY also available Nov 1Z 2016 1IWjOCT 2016 Visiting: Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, overnight Hong Kong, Shanghai, Busan, Nagasaki i i wAIR vi rSi hm few.

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