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Northern Ontario bus network to be considered by province

Common Voice Northwest chair says there are few alternatives for those across region without a vehicle to access services.

THUNDER BAY – Regional municipal leaders are encouraged the province is recognizing the need for intercommunity bus transportation across Northern Ontario.

The direction to establish a bus system was included in the provincial government’s 2041 Draft Multimodal Transportation Strategy for Northern Ontario, which was released by the Ministry of Transportation earlier this week.

While there is existing service along the Trans-Canada Highway and from Thunder Bay along Highway 11 to Fort Frances, the report noted there are particular gaps between Fort Frances and Kenora as well as from Dryden to Red Lake.

Accessing medical appointments, shopping and even watching a baseball game can be a struggle for residents across the region who live in underserviced communities, Common Voice Northwest chair Wendy Landry said.

“If you don’t have a car in Northwestern Ontario and there’s no buses offered, how do you get from place to place?” Landry said on Thursday.

“It’s almost like every community is fending for themselves and trying to figure out a mode of transportation when I think we can come together as a region.”

Landry, who is also the mayor of Shuniah and president of the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association, said across southern Ontario municipalities are clustered much closer together with the province involved in providing transportation infrastructure across the region.

“We are very, very unique in our distances,” Landry said. “There’s no other mode of transportation if you need to get between communities.

But Kasper Wabinski, the owner of Kasper Transportation, said by the end this year or spring of 2018 his company expects to connect the dots across the region. Kasper Transportation is eyeing the expansion of their mini-bus service with new routes from Thunder Bay to Fort Frances, Fort Frances to Kenora, Red Lake to Kenora and Sioux Lookout to Winnipeg.

Kasper Transportation currently operates routes from Thunder Bay to Sioux Lookout, Thunder Bay east to Longlac and between Dryden and Sioux Lookout.

“All of the communities are going to be able to jump on the bus to Winnipeg,” Wabinski said.

The draft report includes 37 directions suggested to be implemented over the next 25 years to improve connectivity. While it does not include details about whether the bus system should be run government operated or run by private enterprise, it acknowledges the need to provide a service that is efficient for travellers.

“Provision of new intercommunity bus services should include better coordination of travel schedules between modes and providers to optimize connections, as well as deployment of technology to ensure the services are modern and reliable,” the report reads. “For example, expanded use of automatic vehicle location systems for real-time reporting of expected arrival times would greatly increase travellers' convenience.”

While Wabinski said he would welcome government subsidies to help cover expenses such as the cost of vehicles and providing suitable stops across the network, he doesn’t see the need for a publicly operated system.

The Ministry of Transportation, along with the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines, are currently in the process of developing recommendations on a system, with special consideration being given to municipalities and First Nations communities that are not currently serviced.

Other directions in the report include twinning segments of the Trans-Canada Highway, expanding cellular service across the Northern Ontario transportation network and pursuing all-weather road expansion to First Nations communities.

MPP Norm Miller, the Progressive Conservative critic for Northern Development and Mines, said the report was first promised in 2011.

“If it takes them six years to write a draft strategy, imagine how long it will take them to actually build a road or fulfill any of the 37 promises found in this document,” Miller said in a statement.

“The goals and directions listed in this document all sound good. But it is all words and no action.”

The province is taking public input on the report until Sept. 15.



About the Author: Matt Vis

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