Chilliwack Chamber of Commerce calls on mediator to help end bus strike

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“This transit interruption, coupled with the increasing costs to small businesses, such as an increase in paid sick days and the recent increase to minimum wage, is creating hardships for our local economy,” the Chilliwack Chamber wrote in its Facebook post. “Getting through 3 years of a global pandemic and with the threat of recession in our near future, we need to do everything we can to support the heart of our communities and that is our local businesses.”

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At its meeting Tuesday (Apr. 18), Chilliwack councillors endorsed sending a letter to Labour Minister Harry Bains alongside other cites as the transit dispute drags on with no end in sight. Council directed staff to join other cities and send a letter to Bains due to the impasse between CUPE 561 and First Transit that has suspended all bus service in Chilliwack and surrounding communities since Monday, March 20.

The official text of the motion states: “Council direct Staff to join other municipalities in the Fraser Valley by co-signing a letter to the B.C. Minister of Labour, requesting the assigning of a mediator to help resolve the impasse affecting our bus transit service.”

In a transit strike update prepared on Friday, April 14 by Doug Mossey, manager of transportation and drainage for the city of Chilliwack, the three-page report says, “The Minister of Labour, Honourable Harry Bains, has the ability to weigh-in and assist with mediation and arbitration, but has not acted as of yet.”

However, as reported by Fraser Valley Today on Saturday, April 15, MLA Dan Coulter, Minister of State for Infrastructure and Transit, says Minister Bains has reached out to both parties and offered mediation services, but it is his understanding that neither of them has requested assistance from a mediator at this point.

Councillor Jeff Shields said that sending this letter to Minister Bains was long overdue.

“I think it’s a grand idea,” Shields said on April 18. “We’re one month into this. There’s a total impasse. We’ve seen what happened in the Sea to Sky corridor where it lasted six months and there didn’t seem to be a lot that really happened. I think there needs to be a push. Municipalities that are truly affected need to push our provincial government to move forward with this. Thank you to staff for putting this forward.”

Mayor Ken Popove said the city of Chilliwack is limited in what it can do to elevate the matter.

“It’s unfortunate post-pandemic with the ridership on the rise,” Popove said. “Maybe they took that opportunity, but we can’t really speak into it because it’s not something that we can do, but we can do this [letter writing].”

Councillor Nicole Read stressed the need for all parties to act quickly.

“I just hope that the province and the mediator and those involved will be able to resolve this quickly so that people can continue to get back to work and school and use the service they need,” said Read, who was elected in October 2022 to council.

Mayor Popove said the letter writing recommendation originated with the Fraser Valley Regional District and the cities of Abbotsford and Mission.

“We’ll see what we can do that on front,” Popove said.

Councillor Chris Kloot chimed in, “I think the assistance of a mediator is definitely the right move. I’m hopeful it becomes resolved fairly quickly. I’m thankful for staff for bringing this forward.”