B.C. Minister of Transportation Kevin Falcon drew blunt responses from Sea to Sky Corridor politicians and representatives after stating on Friday (Sept. 7) that he "would have loved to put a toll" on Highway 99 because "there's a bunch of rich people who go up to Whistler all the time, and they can easily afford to pay a toll."
The remark caused a ripple of incredulity throughout the region after appearing in the Edmonton Sun."I'm going to assume and hope that the minister was speaking tongue in cheek when he said that," said Mayor Ian Sutherland. "I think the minister understands fully I hope he understands fully that people in Squamish are the main users and the main beneficiaries of the highway."
Falcon was discussing the potential for removing tolls on the Coquihalla Highway during a visit to Kelowna last week when he made the statement, which was subsequently reported in the Edmonton Sun on Sunday (Sept. 9).
Falcon's apparent regret stems from a 2003 provincial government policy establishing a toll ban on new highways that have no alternative routes, such as Highway 99.
But in a lead-up to the policy decision, corridor politicians and groups delved into the impact a tollbooth could have -and the result was undue hardship for residents and businesses, according to Sutherland.
"During all the discussions around tolling the data supplied and the cases made by the people of Whistler and Squamish, SLRD, Pemberton, our Chamber of Commerce, the Whistler Chamber of Commerce, everyone certainly made the point that in fact a toll on the highway would cause a huge disruption because most people on that highway are not 'a bunch of rich people going to Whistler for the weekend,'" he said.
"They're people like small business or commuting to and from work and the highway is part of their livelihood and any increase in cost would be a negative thing for a vast majority of the people that use that highway."
The Sea to Sky's representative at the provincial legislature, MLA Joan McIntyre, also took exception to the remarks made by her co-party member.
"If it is true, it's a very unfortunate remark and I will certainly be having a conversation with the minister," she said in a statement to The Chief Wednesday (Sept 12)."But my focus remains on our actual tolling policy principles, which were outlined in 2002.The Sea to Sky Highway would have been an ideal candidate for tolling but in this case there is no alternate route."
Although Whistler Mayor Ken Melamed declined to comment on Flacon's comments, Tourism Whistler (TW) said such statements lead to misperceptions that could hurt the resort.
"Misperceptions like this certainly can have an impact on our reputation," said Michelle Comeau Thompson, TW director of communications "It's certainly not a message that we would want to have out there in the marketplace and not a message we would want key ambassadors like a minister putting out there."
Both residents and visitors to Whistler come from a range of economic, geographic and cultural backgrounds and age groups, and that diversity is an important part of the Whistler experience, she said.
"If there's a barrier in someone's head that Whistler is only for the rich they may not even decide to look into a trip to Whistler," Comeau Thompson said. "We want people to know there are amazing offers and there's something for pretty much everyone in Whistler."
TW officials plan to contact the minister's office directly to discuss his comments and "clear up any misunderstandings," Comeau Thompson said.
With files from Jennifer Miller
