HandyDART Riders At TransLink Board Meeting
Media Release: HandyDART Riders’ Alliance
HandyDART Riders will tell TransLink board to put contracting out on hold:
NDP TransLink Minister must have chance to complete public sector comparator
The HandyDART Riders’ Alliance will be at the TransLink board meeting on Friday calling for a pause in the process for long term contracting out of HandyDART operations. TransLink has announced that it is planning to start a procurement process in June 2017.
“We will likely have a NDP minister responsible for TransLink within weeks. We will also likely see major changes to the governance of TransLink within months, with real decision making power for the mayors” says HandyDART Riders’ Alliance Co-coordinator Beth McKellar. “This decision must be left to the new minister and board.”
NDP Leader John Horgan has advised BC Hydro not to sign any new contracts on the Site C dam project. The HandyDART Riders Alliance would similarly like TransLink to put off any further action on long term contracting out of HandyDART until a new government is in place. Most observers expect the present government to lose a confidence vote, and the NDP to win a confidence vote fairly quickly.
“The new Minister must not be locked into long term contracts signed in the dying days of an outgoing government” says HandyDART Riders’ Alliance board member Roseanne Shannon. “The new minister and board must have the chance to complete the public sector comparator that the present board and minister chose to terminate.”
A Multiple Accounts Evaluation of bringing HandyDART in house compared to contracting out to a private corporation was promised to the Advisory Committee looking at the future of HandyDART. However, no Multiple Accounts Evaluation (MAE) report was ever presented to the Advisory Committee. Instead, contracting out was chosen without considering safety or quality of service.
HandyDART Riders Alliance spokespeople will be speaking and will be available for interviews at the TransLink Board meeting 10am Friday June 23 at the TransLink Boardroom – 4th floor 287 Nelson’s Court New Westminster, BC
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For more information please contact:
Beth McKellar – HandyDART Riders’ Alliance Co-chair 604 444 9289
www.HandyDARTriders.ca