It’s not in the $52-billion federal budget announced Tuesday but money will flow for the new Fraser River tunnel, planned for 2030.
Delta Liberal MP Carla Qualtrough told the Optimist that the federal and provincial governments have been working on a funding agreement for the project.
“We are very close to reaching a deal with the province on tunnel funding,” Qualtrough said, adding that it will be funded through the fall economic statement. “It’s definitely going to happen before the provincial election (Oct. 19) and I would say significantly sooner than that.”
She couldn’t say how much money is involved but with the federal money, the top priority will be adding the northbound access to the tunnel at River Road.
Delta Coun. Dylan Kruger however remains skeptical.
“We’re coming on nine years later and not to have it as a line item in the budget is concerning,” he said.
A bridge could have been built two years ago, for a fraction of the cost, he pointed out.
Kruger said that a northbound access from River Road is needed to keep commuters from all having to jam on to Ladner Trunk Road to access the tunnel.
And the cost for adding a northbound access, part of the original plan, is a “rounding error” in the total $4-billion cost of the project, he added.
“The inability to get this project funded and completed has been the biggest infrastructure failure of senior government in the last 10 years,” Kruger said.
Hwy. 99 is part of a national trade corridor that connects to Vancouver International Airport, Deltaport and the U.S. border, to say nothing of thousands of commuters who need to cross the Fraser River daily, Kruger said, and with a federal election coming next year, this is one of the last opportunities to present it before the election.
If both senior governments want Delta to accept more housing, then they have to upgrade infrastructure, he added.
Qualtrough said that Tuesday’s budget was aimed at fairness for the younger generation.
“This budget is really focused on younger Canadians and the fact that our economy isn’t really working for them in particular,” she said.
Affordability and housing are two major issues the budget tries to address.
She noted that a renters’ bill of rights will require landlords to show a property’s rental history, while a person’s rental history can be used as part of their credit rating to qualify for a mortgage, and there are low-interest loans of up to $40,000 for building secondary suites.
She noted that $463 million is now allotted to small craft harbours, for which Delta could apply, to help pay for secondary dredging of the Fraser River.
There’s also another $28 million for CBSA to search incoming shipping containers, and more money for city police forces to target auto theft and organized crime.
