Despite opposition from suburban political leaders, the Richmond-Airport-Vancouver (RAV) line can still be built in time for the 2010 Olympics, says Coquitlam Mayor Jon Kingsbury, who holds a pivotal vote on the issue.

Kingsbury, who voted against the proposed $1.5 to $1.7-billion RAV line, said there’s no doubt in his mind that RAV or another version of it can still proceed.

But the line’s future remained uncertain after TransLink’s 12-member board, comprised of mayors and other elected political leaders from Lower Mainland municipalities, decided not to put RAV on the agenda of a public-board meeting last week, choosing instead to discuss it during a closed meeting and workshop.

Earlier this month, the board voted 7-5 against a motion that would have sent RAV to a best-and-final offer stage. Administrators of TransLink, the Vancouver area’s transportation authority, are now investigating other options.

“It’s just a matter of how you do it,” said Kingsbury. “We went to a proposal to a point where it didn’t work anymore. Now, we have to regroup, start again and look at all other proposals. And we have to have co-operation from everybody. And we have to have co-operation from Vancouver, Richmond, Coquitlam, the province and the federal government. We need all that co-operation to make this thing work.”

Kingsbury also serves as the chairman of the Greater Vancouver Regional District, a quasi-government organization that governs TransLink.

Business leaders and other critics contend that the political stalemate will prevent RAV from being finished in time for the 2010 Games. The provincial and federal governments and Vancouver’s airport authority have agreed to spend $900 million on RAV – the largest capital project on the Lower Mainland.

But the province’s $450- million contribution, increased from $300 million amid concerns about higher costs, is contingent on a public-private partnership building and operating the line for 30 years.

Some political leaders favour a northeast expansion of the SkyTrain while others fear cost overruns. The B.C. Federation of Labour and various unions have opposed the public-private partnership component, but haven’t rejected RAV.

Barry O’Neill, B.C. chapter of the Canadian Union of Public Employees president, said the TransLink board’s decision not to vote again on RAV indicates the elected representatives aren’t comfortable with a P3 partnership. He contended that a P3 wouldn’t be subject to the same disclosure rules as a public entity.

He called on the political leaders to bring the public up to speed on RAV’s actual cost, because, he argued, the project can’t proceed now on the assumption that it will eventually be good for everyone.

“The business community knows better than that,” said O’Neill. “You can’t proceed, spend $3 million, get yourself trapped in litigation and proceed on something you know, from the onset, is going to cost you some extra money. That’s not the way it works in the business community.”

But TransLink’s chair- man, Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum, who voted for RAV, appeared to dismiss the idea that RAV can be built without a P3.

The board, he said, is now trying to put together a plan that would include a northeast line and a Richmond-airport-Vancouver link.

“When you put large projects together in this region, no matter what they are, it’s going to have to be done with partnerships, the same as business does it,” said McCallum. “And when you deal with partnerships and people putting money in, they all have strings attached – including TransLink. We have strings attached to our money, so we need to discuss whether those strings are still there and, if they’re not there, whether we still have the money . . . It’s not a simple project.”

According to reports, TransLink will be responsible for $2.4-billion worth of provincially secured loans between 2004 and 2010.

In addition to a fight for funding, RAV faces opposition from residents along scenic Cambie Street on Vancouver’s affluent westside, who are concerned about the effects of a proposed underground tunnel and other issues. Since SkyTrain is a computer-operated driverless system, regulations require it to be built away from vehicle traffic.

Meanwhile, another battle looms between Montreal-based Bombardier Inc., which controls the SkyTrain technology, and an SNC-Lavalin/Serco consortium – the last two bidders on RAV.

Standing in Richmond’s spacious city council chambers last week, McCallum said TransLink is looking at all other options, but offered few details.

“This corridor has been studied for 30 years,” said McCallum. “We have a roomful, probably, of reports, so we’re dusting off some of those and having a look at them.”

RAV could come up for discussion again at a June 2 TransLink board meeting, but is not yet on the agenda.