Mobility pricing plan will push people out of Metro Vancouver if approved: Delta Mayor

Delta’s mayor says if Thursday’s independent commission report on mobility pricing is approved, it could be the tipping point for many people already on the verge of packing up and moving away from Metro Vancouver.

Lois Jackson says the region is not ready for road pricing yet, and she feels it would be unfair to those living in the suburbs who need their vehicles to get around.

READ MORE: Report says Metro Vancouver mobility pricing could cost you up to $8 per day

“If you charge them too much, my opinion is if they have to travel in to commute everyday, people are going to leave,” she said.

“They’re going to have to leave their jobs and make choices and inevitably some people will leave the region.”

She says the cost of living in Metro Vancouver is becoming overwhelming.

READ MORE: New tolls? Road pricing? Final report on mobility pricing due this week

“The charges are stacking up and sometimes people simply say ‘I can’t afford to live here anymore,'” Jackson said.

If approved, the mobility pricing report could see the average household pay between three and eight-dollars a day to get around.

READ MORE: Cut Metro Vancouver gas taxes as part of mobility pricing? It’s on the table

“I think particularly on the peripheral of this region, we have to take care of our families and the people who are really having a struggle right now let alone in the future.”

Jackson says talking about road pricing now is “premature” because when there’s no other option for those living in the suburbs to get around other than their vehicle, that’s unfair.