Representatives from a number of municipalities in the Lac La Biche-St. Paul constituency gathered at the Rec. Centre multi-purpose room Friday afternoon to hear MLA Ray Danyluk speak on some of the current issues he is dealing with as Transportation minister. But, much of the discussion on Friday dealt with the Green Transit Incentives Program (GreenTRIP), and the potential for municipalities to use the provincial funding to establish a local bus service.
Telling municipalities the purpose of GreenTRIP was one of Danyluk’s priorities at Friday’s meeting, he encouraged municipalities to consider working together to fill a hole that has been left since Greyhound no longer services many communities within the constituency.
“It’s about the movement of people. It is about the reduction of carbon,” said Danyluk.
GreenTRIP is a one-time capital funding program that supports public transit in Alberta.
“This program is intended to provide Albertans with a wider range of sustainable public transit alternatives which will help increase transit ridership, reduce traffic congestion and thereby reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” according to the government’s website.
The $2 billion program was announced in the summer of 2010, with $800 million dedicated to each Calgary and Edmonton, and $400 million dedicated to rural Alberta. Only a small portion of the money set aside for rural communities has actually been used, said Danyluk.
GreenTRIP will cover two thirds of the capital costs of an approved project.
“We do not have bus service. How do we get bus service?” Danyluk asked municipalities. He suggested the idea that municipalities work together to acquire a bus for residents to use to get from one community to the next.
“I may be adding a little bit of imagination into an application,” said Danyluk, as he expanded on the idea, but added, “I think that this has a chance.”
Danyluk said he has already passed the idea by the premier’s office and they responded by saying, “If it can work, go ahead.”
He told municipalities the funding isn’t meant to create a profit, but is meant to support communities. It is a municipal capital grant, and does not cover operating expenses.
“It’s your solution,” said Danyluk.
Also in attendance was Danyluk’s deputy minister Tim Grant. He explained there is in fact a big amount of money left in GreenTRIP, but if municipalities don’t go after it soon, it might go elsewhere.
“As long as you are saving carbon” the program can work, said Danyluk. GreenTRIP isn’t a long-term program, and if municipalities decided to purchase a bus with the money, they would be the ones responsible for replacing that bus when needed.
Danyluk also recognized that a project like this “is not going to be easy,” and predicted companies like Greyhound won’t like it. When dealing with transportation in rural Alberta, “sparsity and distance” are challenges that need to be addressed.
Following the meeting, Danyluk acknowledged that he has heard constituents talk about the lack of bus service and believes that “not having access provides concern.”
The Journal reported last week a private company plans to launch a bus service to connect the Lakeland to Edmonton, called Lakeland Connect, with some assistance from the Town FCSS outreach advocate funded by Alberta Justice.
Another purpose of last week’s meeting was to introduce Grant to municipalities. The deputy minister is recently retired from the Armed Forces and was in charge of the recovery of Slave Lake following wildfires that destroyed much of the community last year.
Danyluk also briefly spoke on the recent changes being made to impaired driving legislation, upcoming changes that will be made to the graduated licensing program, safety on the roads, and building bridges.
