As Transportation Minister, BC Liberal Leader Kevin Falcon imposed tolls on the Port Mann and Golden Ears Bridges, costing families $1,500 per year.

Yesterday, Falcon repeated his criticism of the BC NDP for eliminating those tolls:

“Yes, they took tolls off the Port Mann Bridge, and yes traffic growth grew by 30% within a number of weeks and that we now have, basically, Los Angeles on that corridor.” (May 2, 2022, CKNW)

In the last 18 months, Falcon has defended his bridge tolls on at least six other occasions. He:

• Said eliminating tolls was “terrible public policy” (Feb. 4, 2022, CBC);
• Called removing tolls “a short-sighted move” (Oct. 1, 2021, RED);
• Said his past decision to implement tolls was “the right thing to do” (May 18, 2021, CKNW);
• Said “traffic grew 30 percent after they took off tolls” (May 19, 2021, BiV);
• Wrote that removing tolls was “really bad public policy” (Oct. 20, 2020, DH);
• Has consistently supported the tolled BC Liberal Massey replacement project and promised to cancel the tunnel.

Studies have shown that removing tolls on the Port Mann and Golden Ears eased congestion on other crossings, including the Pattullo Bridge.

BC NDP MLA Garry Begg:

“Kevin Falcon created these unfair tolls and he continues to support them today. At the same time he was handing tax giveaways to the top 1%, his tolls cost hardworking families $1,500 a year. By continuing to support tolls, he’s proving that he’s still not working for people. He would make life harder and more expensive, just like he did before.”