A mayor's vision of how to fund regional public transportation

Mayor Walton has shown tremendous leadership in supporting expanded public transportation in the region and finding innovative solutions to the current funding gap. On February 5th he announced to the media that the Mayors Council will be putting forward recommendations to the province, including a minor sales tax of 0.5% as one possible sustainable funding solution. Other short-term funding options include reviving the vehicle levy and using carbon tax revenue from future increases. At this Carbon Talk, Mayor Walton will speak to his work advocating for practical solutions to fund regional public transportation infrastructure.

Richard Walton is the Chair of TransLink's Mayor's Council. He was elected Mayor of North Vancouver District in 2008 and again in 2011. He was also elected as Councillor in 2002 and School Trustee in 1986, 1988 and 1990. Currently he is in his 16th year of elected public service. During his term as Mayor, Mr. Walton has also served on the Boards of the Municipal Finance Authority of BC and the Fraser Basin Council. He is currently serving on the Board of Indian Arm/Say Nuth Khaw Yum Provincial Park.Mr. Walton has an MA in Education from Simon Fraser University, and is a member of both the British Columbia and Canadian Institutes of Chartered Accountants, having been in professional practice with Coopers & Lybrand in Vancouver. He has served within the public school system as a humanities teacher and administrator, worked as an international tour guide specializing in Scandinavia and Eastern Europe, and also served in senior management and ownership positions with a number of public and private companies.  In 2004 he and his wife co-founded and chaired the inaugural World Mountain Bike Conference held in Vancouver and in 1999 he chaired the BC Games for Athletes with a Disability.

This event sponsored by PICS.