[bru-info] GVRD Board Violates Bylaw to Silence Bus Riders

[bru-info at lists.resist.ca]

 *For Immediate Release*

 GVRD Board Violates Bylaw to Silence Bus Riders

 *
*

*Friday, July 20th 2007*

 (Vancouver) Members of the Bus Riders Union were denied the right to speak
at today's GVRD board meeting, where they ratified TransLink's 2008
Strategic Transportation Plan, which includes a fare increase for January
2008.

 "What we saw today at the GVRD board was a series of deliberate manoeuvres
by the directors to not let anything get in the way of passing the 2008
Strategic Transportation Plan" says organizer Zailda Chan.  "In the 45
minutes they spent debating delegation procedures all of our members could
have spoken and shared the experiences of hundreds of bus riders affected by
the upcoming fare increase. This shows how truly undemocratic they are when
it comes to listening to the needs of poor people."

 The refusal to speak began with TransLink chair and Richmond Mayor Malcolm
Brodie joined by Burnaby Mayor Derrick Corrigan and Vancouver Councillor
Suzanne Anton specifically advocating to deny BRU members the chance to
speak, despite a bylaw in place to ensure democratic process at the GVRD
board level.  BRU members were granted the legal right to speak after the
board unanimously voted in favour of not suspending the bylaw.  However,
Malcolm Brodie's determination to silence the bus riders paid off after he
moved a motion to adopt the written agenda with no delegations.  After BRU
members walked out of the meeting, GVRD directors attempted to raise the
same issues that BRU members were to speak on.  Director Corrigan and
several directors raised concerns about environmental degradation as a
result of high fares and the lack of responsibility the province is taking
to finance public transit, but in the end the board voted unanimously to
ratify TransLink's 2008 Transportation Plan.

 BRU member Quasim Baig says "It's hypocritical when directors pay lip
service to the impacts of the upcoming fare increase but don't back up their
position with a vote to stop it. The GVRD Board, and in particular, the
TransLink directors treated bus riders like garbage, without any regard to
our time or experiences.  We took our time off of work and from our lives to
come here and speak out against this unjust fare increase".

 Yuly Chan says, "when the GVRD board, like the TransLink board, uses
undemocratic procedures that deliberately prevent bus riders from speaking
about critical issues that affect our lives and health, and play an
instrumental role in not meeting the demands of city workers for decent
wages and better working conditions, we should question their legitimacy and
challenge their pro-corporate agenda.

 The GVRD board can violate their own bylaw to keep us quiet in the
boardroom" says Chan, "but bus riders are angry and will make our voices
even louder against this fare increase."


 Media contact: 604 215 2775 or 604 780 5705

 --
Bus Riders Union
672 East Broadway St.
Vancouver BC
V5T 1X6
http://bru.vcn.bc.ca/
604-215-2775
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