VANCOUVER — One of Premier Christy Clark's most respected ministers is vowing to restore confidence in Metro Vancouver's transit authority plagued by ongoing criticism and the recent defeat at the polls of a multibillion-dollar transportation plan.
Peter Fassbender was named Thursday the new minister of community, sport and cultural development and the minister responsible for TransLink during a small cabinet shuffle.
His appointment follows the July 2 announcement by Elections B.C. that 62 per cent of those who voted in a plebiscite rejected a proposal to pay an extra half-per cent sales tax to raise $7.5 billion for transit upgrades.
Only hours on the job, Fassbender promised to "chart a new course" for the region's mayors and the province and restore public confidence into TransLink's fiscal management and direction.
He said he also wants to consider the authority's current governance structure and possible changes as part of a new plan.
"Very often we look for silver bullets to fix things when really what it takes is collaboration, consensus building, the opportunity to find solutions that ensure that we do not destroy some of the good things that are going on," he said.
Fassbender said he has ideas, which he'll continue to share, but no preconceived notions.
Opposition Leader John Horgan said the mayors were given the task of selling a referendum that they didn't want to have to a community that didn't want to say yes.
"Now Mr. Fassbender, I'm hopeful, will come with an olive branch for the mayors and Metro Vancouver, and for the people of Metro Vancouver so that we can put in place a transportation system that we all want to see here."
Fassbender served as the city of Langley's mayor before voters in Surrey-Fleetwood elected him to the legislature in May 2013.
He led the government through a bitter labour dispute involving unionized public school teachers last year before a settlement was reached with the B.C. Teachers' Federation.
"If I have a reputation, I do my best to build consensus and look at what our goals are, as opposed to the problems," he said. "I clearly knew when I took on the minister of education that there was some challenges but I was resolute as was the premier and the government to get a long-term negotiated settlement."
Fassbender's appointment is not the first change for TransLink since the transportation plan's defeat.
On July 14, TransLink announced that two of its top managers had been removed from their jobs.
At the time, Transportation Minister Todd Stone repeated calls by Clark for more accountability at TransLink.
"The premier, I thought, was very clear. She went so far as to say not only did people say no to the sales tax, but they said no to any new taxes to go to an organization that people don't trust,"he said.
Thursday's cabinet shuffle means Mike Bernier, who has been a parliamentary secretary for the environment minister, replaces Fassbender as B.C.'s new education minister.
Coralee Oaks, who had been in charge of the community sport ministry, is now minister of small business and is responsible for the liquor distribution branch.
Naomi Yamamoto, who was minister of state for tourism and small business, is now minister of state for emergency preparedness under the Transportation Ministry.
