Dave Barrett was remembered at two public memorial events over the weekend, in Victoria and Vancouver.
Barrett, who died Feb. 2 at the age of 87, was B.C.’s first NDP premier. He headed a government that was in office for just under 3½ years. It was a “government in a hurry,” passing 357 bills from 1972 to 1975 and ushering in an era of remarkable change in B.C.
Some of its most significant achievements have been commented on extensively, including the establishment of the Agricultural Land Reserve, the creation of ICBC and bringing Hansard and question period to the legislature.
How did the South Fraser area benefit from the Barrett government? Most of the social programs brought in were provincewide, and local residents who were eligible for Pharmacare, Mincome or higher welfare rates were all better off.
One program was very important – the expansion of public transit south of the Fraser River.
Under Social Credit government, transit had been restricted to areas where the BC Electric Company had operated transit before its nationalization in 1961. It became BC Hydro, and continued to operate buses and a rail-freight service. The buses were money-losers; the railway made money.
The only public transit in this area prior to the expansion was via Pacific Stage Lines buses, which ran to New Westminster and Vancouver a few times a day. Also owned by Hydro, PSL’s service had changed little since the end of Fraser Valley interurban operation in 1950. A private company, Surrey Bus Services, operated routes mainly in South Surrey and White Rock.
Private vehicles were virtually the only choice. And when the Port Mann Bridge opened in 1964, Surrey roads got a lot busier.
The first buses in the expanded transit area serviced Whalley, North Delta, Ladner, Tsawwassen, Newton, Guildford, White Rock, Cloverdale and Langley City. Some routes were primarily internal, but a number featured trips into Vancouver.
For the first time, commuters south of the Fraser had options.
Surrey’s continued growth prompted the Bill Bennett Social Credit government (which succeeded Barrett’s), to pledge to build SkyTrain to Surrey. The first portion to Scott Road station opened in 1990, and the extension to what is now Surrey City Centre opened under the Mike Harcourt NDP government in 1994.
While bus service has expanded since, rapid-transit expansion has remained stalled south of the Fraser.
Another Surrey-specific achievement of the Barrett government was the takeover of Panco Poultry, operating a chicken and turkey processing plant in Newton, along with a feed mill, hatchery and a number of farms. The takeover was unpopular with many farmers. They lobbied for the farms to be sold off to individual owners, which happened under Bennett.
The two NDP MLAs from this area who were part of Barrett’s government were Ernie Hall, who represented the huge Surrey riding, and Delta MLA Carl Liden.
Frank Bucholtz writes Wednesdays for Peace Arch News.
frank.bucholtz@gmail.com