Transit newsletter spotlights new B.C. MLAs, Victoria bus strike
The volunteer-run digest also features a petition for all-door bus boarding and updates on the Greater Victoria bus strike.
VANCOUVER · The latest edition of a long-running volunteer transit newsletter spotlights newly elected B.C. MLAs and calls for more sustainable transportation advocates in the legislature. The Weekly Alternative Buzzer, compiled by public transportation advocate Nathan Davidowicz, lists preliminary results for newly elected MLAs in Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley. The digest notes final results may not be available until late November 2026. It expresses hope that more pro-sustainable transport MLAs will be elected compared to previous elections.
The newsletter asks readers to inform the editor if any of the new MLAs are pro-sustainable transport. The listed MLAs include Deep Sandhu in Vancouver-Fraserview, Jaime Stein in Vancouver-Langara and Carson Binda in Vancouver-Quilchena. Other new MLAs listed are Lara Honrado in Vancouver-South Granville, Amanda Burrows in Vancouver-Strathcona and Margareta Dovgal in Vancouver-Yaletown. The list also includes newly elected MLAs for several Burnaby, Coquitlam, Delta, Maple Ridge, North Vancouver, Port Moody, Richmond and Surrey ridings.
The edition provides links to election resources from CityHallWatch, CRD Watch, Livable CRD and CivicInfo BC. It states that more coverage of the B.C. municipal and provincial elections will be featured in the October 25 issue. Coverage of sustainable transport in Canada, the U.S. and internationally will resume on November 1, 2026. The newsletter highlights a call from Unifor for provincial authorities to overhaul transit governance models across B.C. It includes links to the union's comprehensive recommendations on issues including public transit workers' voices, transit employment, procurement and contracting.
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It also promotes the B.C. Active Transportation Summit in Victoria from October 28 to 30, 2026. The event will bring together Western Canada's leading active transportation advocates and practitioners. A petition for all-door boarding on every bus route is featured, with a link to the Movement YVR campaign. Another item advocates for fare-free transit for all B.C. seniors, youth and people with disabilities, linking to an action network letter.
The digest provides multiple links for updates on the Greater Victoria bus strike, including from Unifor, BC Transit and a strike tracker app. Unifor has said a fair deal and public funding are needed to keep Victoria buses moving. BC Transit announced an overtime ban would impact service in the Victoria regional transit system beginning October 5, 2026. Other items include a link to a CityHallWatch article titled Where to Get Off The Bus and a petition to save poetry on TransLink buses. It cites a 2025 statistic from the Atlas of Sustainable City Transport that only 54 percent of people in the Vancouver, Surrey and Burnaby area lived within 500 metres of a transport stop with 10-minute or better service. Davidowicz has been compiling and circulating the Weekly Alternative Buzzer for years as a voluntary public service. The WAB is described as a mix of a transit newsletter, events board, service bulletin, fun stories, interesting factoids and a treasure trove of links. Interested readers can write to Davidowicz directly to sign up for free email delivery.
With files from CityHallWatch