MOTION

At the Council meeting of February 13, 2001, Councillor Louis submitted the following Notice of Motion which was recognized by the Chair:

Financial Audit and Review of SkyTrain Project File: 5559

MOVED by Cllr. Louis,
SECONDED by Cllr. ,

WHEREAS, ensuring the sustainability of the City of Vancouver and the Region's public transit system has been a priority for Council;

AND WHEREAS, the sustainability of Vancouver's public transit system is directly related to its fiscal viability;

AND WHEREAS, a recently released report concludes that "information advanced in support of the SkyTrain option was misleading, incomplete or unsubstantiated," and "cost comparisons appear to be contrived to favour SkyTrain over LRT," during the decision phase that preceded the June, 1998 announcement by the Provincial Government to construct the SkyTrain extension;

AND WHEREAS, other research reports also conclude that SkyTrain construction, operation and maintenance costs are likely to be higher than projected by the Rapid Transit Project 2000 office, and higher than costs of other forms of rapid transit;

AND WHEREAS, the City and TransLink have agreed to future SkyTrain development plans based on financial statements and assumptions provided by the same RTP 2000 office, whose credibility on these issues has been seriously questioned;

AND WHEREAS, numerous community groups are asking the Auditor General's office to review the SkyTrain project;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT, Vancouver City Council ask the BC Minister Responsible for Transit to request the Auditor General of British Columbia to undertake a full and complete financial audit and review of the entire SkyTrain project.

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(c) 1998 City of Vancouver