Town of St. Paul council decided to provide its Action Bus to upstart regional bus company Lakeland Connect in emergency situations, at its council meeting on Feb. 27. Lakeland Connect is waiting for approval to start operations from Alberta Transportation.
Dolu Ashani, president and CEO of Simbrex Lakeland Connect, wrote to council asking for a relief agreement with the Action Bus in case of a breakdown to transport passengers. He expects the company to start a line from Elk Point to Edmonton this month and a second from Cold Lake to Edmonton shortly after.
Councillors noted the Town’s two busses are busy and that one bus does not leave town because of its condition. Councillors agreed to provide a bus to pick up passengers if stranded somewhere but decided not to offer the bus for route duties.
“I don’t think our old one is fit to go too far,” Mayor Glenn Andersen said. “Our citizens are first. You can’t take it away from seniors and their routine here.”
“I would agree with helping them out in a pinch if they’re stranded on the road,” said Coun. Ken Kwiatkowski. “Helping them out, yes. Covering for them for the next day or two days because the bus is down, no. I believe our citizens come first.”
Ashani is an advocate with Barrier-Free Outreach Advocacy. St. Paul’s Safe Communities initiative funds the program $100,000 a year out of the Ministry of Justice. Safe Communities was not aware of Ashani’s role in launching the bus service, nor Ashani’s involvement as a stakeholder, confirmed Alison Keppler, public affairs officer with the Justice department.
“This is now brought to our attention and we will be following up with (the Town of St. Paul,” she said. “They are the owners of this grant agreement … We’ll make sure the grant funds are being used appropriately.”
The outreach program is required to provide regular reports to Safe Communities, with the last report filed in September 2011. The next report is due shortly, Keppler said.
Safe Communities plans to look into the program to evaluate if Lakeland Connect falls within its mandate. Safe Communities aims to reduce crime with a focus on prevention, intervention, enforcement and partnerships, according to its website.
Meanwhile, in early February, the Journal reported Red Arrow planned to partner with an area service provider to start a passenger bus route within a few months in the Lakeland. Red Arrow spokesman John Stepovy confirmed the company continues working with a couple of service providers who have an interest in providing passenger service but could not confirm a timeline.
