That’s what the Canadian Taxpayers Federation wants to know after a Freedom of Information Request filed with Translink came back mainly blank.
The Federation’s BC Director, Jordan Bateman, says he filed the FOI requesting all documents including emails on how the transit company dealt with CKNW’s Waste Patrol series that focused on fare evasion. What came back after months of waiting were 88 pages, mostly blank.
Bateman was asked why he filed the request in the first place, “You know, here they are, CKNW’s doing this series and they just outright refuse to talk to ‘NW despite multiple requests from multiple talkshow hosts and reporters asking them for a comment; they absolutely refused. I find that really sickening from a government agency; I think it’s wrong.”
There are a few emails in the 88 pages including one from former Translink communications staff member Erin Dermer that says, “Fare evasion is not an issue that can be appropriately addressed under the Waste Patrol format. First and foremost she says, fare evasion is not waste, it’s a form of shoplifting.”
Bateman says that’s ridiculous, “They are splitting hairs on the whole shoplifting, stealing thing. My argument for the Waste Patrol is that the way Translink is managed, the last 12 years has been waste. They have a Transit Police Department that wrote tickets, spending 25 million bucks a year on them, but couldn’t actually enforce the tickets, that is waste.”
The Taxpayers Federation has asked the BC Information and Privacy Commissioner to review Translink’s response.
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