Whether we pay for public transit through federal, provincial or municipal taxes or through fares or levies on licenses or parking, we’re going to pay for it. It’s no use saying we don’t need it—Ottawa is already big and clogged up. And we are far behind other cities. What kind of national capital is only getting a train to its airport in 2025 (or some time)? Transit is an essential service. Nobody says you can buy water, or you can poop on the sidewalk. Transit is an essential service too. And transit is good for everybody. People who ride bikes. People who drive cars. People who suffer in any way from climate change. People who breathe. Paying for transit though taxes rather than fares encourages more people to use it. That makes it more successful and successful transit will help all of us.
Ottawa is in a giant financial hole though, and we need help from other levels of government.
The Crystal Beach Lakeview Community Association sent an email to the following:
- Minister of Transport, Anita Anand
- Premier of Ontario, Doug Ford
- Ottawa Councillor and Chair of Transit Commission, Glen Gower
- Ottawa Councillor, Theresa Kavanagh
- Member of Provincial Parliament, Chandra Pasma
- Ontario Minister of Transportation, Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria
- Mayor of Ottawa, Mark Sutcliffe
- Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau
- Member of Parliament, Anita Vandenbeld
The email read:
“Hello, Decision-makers,
The Crystal Beach Lakeview Community Association was pleased to learn of the “Transit for Tomorrow Summit” held in Ottawa on October 28. We want to add our support for the joint declaration titled “A New Solution is Needed to Sustain Essential Public Transit Services.”
We already see first-hand how crucial public transit is to making denser cities work. The issue is important to us. Please, act quickly.”
You can find more information about the Transit for Tomorrow Summit and the joint declaration in the following articles:
- It’s time to come together’: Local leaders from across Canada call for new transit funding model
- Access for Everyone: “Public Transit in Canada’s Largest Cities Requires Sustainable Long Term Funding, Starting with Acceleration of the Canada Public Transit Fund
Whatever happens, the City should not be punishing kids and seniors for taking the bus. Encouraging seniors to either keep driving and clogging up the roads or to stay home, maybe missing out on food, medical visits or socialization seems like a short-sighted policy.
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