The government of British Columbia announced the provision of $479 million to TransLink, the public transit network in Greater Vancouver, the largest urban agglomeration in the province, to help it meet its urgent financial needs.

These funds come from the province's budget surplus amounting to several billion dollars.

Prime Minister David Eby also said that this funding will help maintain affordable transit fares in Greater Vancouver, avoid service cuts, and continue plans to expand its network.

For his part, TransLink CEO Kevin Quinn stated that the decline in user revenues due to the COVID-19 pandemic and rising service costs due to inflation have put significant pressure on the organization's finances.

Port Coquitlam Mayor and Chair of the Regional Transportation Mayors' Council Brad West said that the support from the British Columbia government spares the public transit system from the "death spiral" of service reductions and fare increases that many other cities' transit networks are suffering from.

West, whose city is located within Greater Vancouver, also expressed regret that the federal government did not participate in the funding, and affirmed that the mayors will continue to pressure Justin Trudeau's Liberal government in Ottawa to obtain support.