The bus is about to leave

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If Premier Greg Selinger is serious about Winnipeg becoming a rapid-transit city, then he's got to do a lot better than suggest it can all be financed by new tax revenues that might be created by the condos, apartment blocks and retail outlets that might rise adjacent to new transit routes.

On the other hand, if Mayor Sam Katz isn't serious about rapid transit, then he should say so, rather than claiming to support it in one breath, but raising every obstacle and doubt in the next.

The mayor has said publicly that Winnipeg is an easy city for motorists and that congestion is not a huge problem. Compared to other cities, we've got nothing to complain about, he said. During the last civic election, the mayor also raised doubts about his commitment, telling the Free Press editorial board that completing the final phase of the southwest route to the University of Manitoba might only save minutes of time compared to regular transit operating on diamond lanes and with priority signals.

Well, if that's true, then maybe there is no need to finish the project at a cost of $275 million. The problem is the mayor hasn't elaborated on his musing, much less offered evidence that might convince the public it's time to move onto other subjects.

The mayor seemed excited about the idea of light rail transit in the past, which is prohibitively expensive at this time, but he has been unenthusiastic about bus rapid transit since he became mayor in 2004. Other councillors may regard it as a pipe dream that will drain resources from other necessary work.

As a result, the city has dragged its feet on the issue for the last eight years. After decades of study and hand-wringing, the city is only now preparing to open the first leg of a 3.6-kilometre busway from downtown to the Jubilee interchange.

And in an act that bordered on spite, city council approved a last-minute decision in November to raise transit fares 20 cents in June to help pay for the final leg of the southwestern route. The decision was made without consultation or research to determine how much money might be raised, or how the fare increase might impact ridership.

It was inherently unfair because it meant the burden of paying for rapid transit would fall on Winnipeggers with the least means and users who will not benefit from it. There was also the risk that the increase might be a tipping point for motorists who had previously left their cars at home, but who might now calculate that it made more sense to drive. Rapid transit, meanwhile, benefits the entire community by getting cars off the road, reducing congestion, accidents, pollution and wear and tear on infrastructure.

In the end, it seemed more like the beginning of a long game of chicken with the province, which the city blames for the transit impasse.

And so, rather than risk a collision with the city and transit users, Premier Selinger said this week he's opposed to the 20-cent fare increase and then went on to offer a non-solution by suggesting that it could be financed by new taxes that would flow from the final phase of the busway. Of course, there's no guarantee of such a tax windfall, or any tax benefit for that matter.

Tax-increment financing, moreover, was intended for brownfield developments, the kind that require government support. It was never intended to be used to pay for a new freeway, much less rapid transit.

There are, however, other appropriate tax tools available, including levies on gasoline and motor vehicles, as well as tolls on roads and bridges. The obvious option, the one municipal governments agree is best, is a temporary increase in the sales tax. But the province stubbornly rejects it. The federal government, too, has a role, but the province and city haven't been as successful as other cities in tapping the treasury in Ottawa.

The only thing that's clear today is that city council should rescind its 20-cent fare hike until both sides decide whether they're serious about rapid transit.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition February 24, 2012 A12