A popular topic that is often featured in local media is the Transit tax referendum. For that reason, I thought it would be a great opportunity to attend the recent Vancouver Board of Trade presentation, Growing BC’s Economy Through Transportation. I hoped to possibly gain more insight than what I was getting from other sources of news even though transit was only going to be a part of this luncheon.
The Minister of Transport, Todd Stone is a very likable, funny individual and was good for a few laughs. During his speech in which he outlined what projects were going to be underway in the future, it was obvious that those in planning positions actually listened to what people wanted. I was quite impressed.
One of the insightful aspects of going to an event like this is that you get to see some of the stakeholders – the people who take time off work to attend the function because they care. Sometimes it’s surprising. There were people specializing in PR, Entertainment, Hospitality, Government grant lobbying and Construction to name a few. There was a whole table from YVR (who were sponsors), and unsurprisingly a table of government employees. Sometimes just thinking about why someone is there can tell you a lot.
Even though this was supposed to be just an overview of the transportation plan (which was mostly infrastructure improvements) rather than a rally for the Yes side of the transit referendum, it still felt very political. There was a “Yes” pin (like the type you’d pin to your jacket) on every place setting and the fact the Todd Stone was going to vote yes was brought up a number of times.
As question period approached, I was looking forward to the possibility of a “No” supporter asking tough questions, unfortunately the Minister had another engagement and no public questions were taken. Nevertheless, this event was still a fun experience and a good opportunity to meet people in the community.
Chris Melnyk is in his final year at the Beedie School of Business concentrating in Finance and Entrepreneurship. After having worked in different roles in the construction industry, Chris grew an interest in Real Estate Development and Brokerage. He is currently a Beedie Ambassador and enjoys meeting new people in various industries.