Open Letter

Dear Burnaby Mayor
and Council,

As representatives of businesses, unions, non-profits and community organizations in Burnaby and across the Lower Mainland, we are writing to reaffirm our strong support for the proposed Burnaby Mountain Gondola.

As you know, more than 25,000 trips are taken every day on Burnaby Mountain by people who face some of the longest commute times in Canada. And far too often, commuters are left stranded when buses stall in ice and snow. With many more people expected to live, work and study on Burnaby Mountain in the coming years, a cost-effective transit solution to this challenge is in everyone’s interest.  

After years of careful study and consideration, transportation planners have proposed the Burnaby Mountain Gondola as the best long-term solution to these transportation challenges. The Burnaby Mountain Gondola will cost less to operate than the current fleet of diesel buses and reduce greenhouse gases by 1,700 tonnes per year. It will move more people, more quickly up and down the mountain. And commuters won’t be left stranded, even when it snows. For these and many other reasons, the vast majority of residents recently surveyed by TransLink in its first phase of public consultation on the project agree that the Burnaby Mountain Gondola should be approved and constructed. 

We also want to stress that safe, reliable transit is critical to the health and economic well-being of everyone in Burnaby, whether they use transit or not. Public transit links people and communities together. It provides people with access to employment and education, and businesses in Burnaby with access to customers. Public transit reduces congestion on our roads and improves the quality of our air. It provides everyone, regardless of income, with the freedom to move through the community, enhancing the overall quality of life for everyone who calls Burnaby home.

As our elected representatives on Burnaby City Council, we ask you to carefully consider these benefits as you weigh your support for the project. The Burnaby Mountain Gondola is critically important to our community and will leave a lasting legacy for future generations. 

Sincerely,