Transit plans go in new direction
Consolidating services across the Region called most ‘efficient’ plan
A plan that would result in a single commission responsible for transit in Niagara is moving forward.
The Linking Niagara Transit Committee voted to send a transit governance study to area municipalities for comment Thursday.
The report recommends a model for a combined agency that would operate independently but have its budget set by Niagara Region council.
The formation of a commission will require approval from a “triple majority” of Niagara’s 12 local area municipalities, representing more than 50 per cent of the population, and regional council.
If all goes according to plan, the commission would be operational by the end of 2022.
“We have 13 municipalities and 10 transit agencies,” said Matt Robinson, Niagara’s GO Implementation office director, in an interview. “That is an inefficient method of delivering transit. It is an inefficient way of doing business.
“Efficiency isn’t about reduction. It is about doing more with your resources. This isn’t about delivering more for less money. It is about deploying resources in a way the works for every corner of Niagara.”
The recommendation is the result of an exhaustive study on governance and funding models. The study looked at various transition plans to spread out the costs of the transition.
“We need a seamless system of conventional, specialized, and on-demand transit,” said Robinson. “If you look at the bigger picture, if we combine resources, we will be able to grow transit exponentially and serve the residents better than we are now.”
Mayors, councillors and se
nior staffers from across Niagara — including chief administrative officers of Niagara Falls, Welland and St. Catharines — form the steering committee. Matt Sisco, a St. Catharines city councillor, is chair. Leo Van Vliet, a Welland city councillor, is vice-chair.
The study listed the consolidated model’s benefits, including integration with GO Transit expansion, enhanced federal and provincial funding opportunities, operational harmonization and economies of scale.
The transit study concluded the future of transit growth will be closely linked with a “latent demand” for inter-municipal trips.
Welland Mayor Frank Campion said his staff had done a very preliminary cost analysis of the consolidated model.
“When I look at the financial contributions, there are going to be some big winners,” Campion said. “Some are neutral like Welland, and there are some — how should I say this — losers.
“What am I going to say when the mayor of Niagara-on-theLake, Betty Disero, calls me and says her costs are going to quadruple in this time frame when they are projecting zero growth?”
The study showed that other regions would experience substantial increases in transit utilization after amalgamation, while Niagara’s local transit use has remained mostly stagnant over the past 20 years.
“I may be alone on this here, but I can see where there may be some push back from some of the municipalities,” Campion said. “There may be some sticker shock when we start to look at these things.”
The resolution asked for a response by the end of March.
Fort Erie Mayor Wayne Redekop successfully lobbied the committee to move the deadline for a response to the end of February.
“I think we are going to have to tighten up some of these timelines, or we are going to run out of time,” Redekop said. “We will also need a travelling dog-andpony show from the people who can best communicate why the municipalities should support and adopt this.
“Money will be the most significant aspect, and we need logical explanations, or this is going to fail because we haven’t adequately communicated what we are trying to accomplish.