The_Cat
Senior Member
I wonder if the Amalgamated Transit Union had some influence on the City's decision.
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Regional Transit
- Thread starter Daveography
- Start date
JaayJR
New Member
Here is the EMTSC response to last night:
“At the conclusion of their December 15 meeting, the EMTSC Board of Directors released this official statement on yesterday's City of Edmonton budget decision:
Edmonton City Council decision signals the end of Edmonton Metropolitan Region Transit Commission
On December 14, 2022, Edmonton City Council voted no to budgeting their portion of the regional transit costs during the City’s ongoing budget discussions. This means the Edmonton Metropolitan Transit Services Commission (EMTSC) will be unlikely to fulfill its mandate and will have to consider all options regarding its future.
The proposed regional transit system was designed to create greater connections between communities and into Edmonton, improving labour mobility across the entire region. Major investment decisions increasingly depend on the provision of integrated and seamless regional transit.
“This has been ten years of hard and hopeful work. We are very disappointed that Edmonton’s Council has decided not to budget their share of the Commission’s regional service costs, particularly since the costs have escalated for the rest of us due to decisions made by Edmonton’s Council. But the rest of were still committed. This is absolutely a big setback,” says EMTSC Board Chair, Wes Brodhead.
Over the past 12 months EMTSC has worked extremely hard to balance the needs of all eight commission members, including the stated desire by Edmonton to substantially reduce its original commitment.
“The Commission Board members have made it clear that this decision will have significant regional implications. What I am hearing loud and clear is that trust has been broken,” says Brodhead.
The Commission Board and leadership will continue to meet into the new year to understand the specific ramifications and will plan accordingly.”
www.emtsc.ca
“At the conclusion of their December 15 meeting, the EMTSC Board of Directors released this official statement on yesterday's City of Edmonton budget decision:
Edmonton City Council decision signals the end of Edmonton Metropolitan Region Transit Commission
On December 14, 2022, Edmonton City Council voted no to budgeting their portion of the regional transit costs during the City’s ongoing budget discussions. This means the Edmonton Metropolitan Transit Services Commission (EMTSC) will be unlikely to fulfill its mandate and will have to consider all options regarding its future.
The proposed regional transit system was designed to create greater connections between communities and into Edmonton, improving labour mobility across the entire region. Major investment decisions increasingly depend on the provision of integrated and seamless regional transit.
“This has been ten years of hard and hopeful work. We are very disappointed that Edmonton’s Council has decided not to budget their share of the Commission’s regional service costs, particularly since the costs have escalated for the rest of us due to decisions made by Edmonton’s Council. But the rest of were still committed. This is absolutely a big setback,” says EMTSC Board Chair, Wes Brodhead.
Over the past 12 months EMTSC has worked extremely hard to balance the needs of all eight commission members, including the stated desire by Edmonton to substantially reduce its original commitment.
“The Commission Board members have made it clear that this decision will have significant regional implications. What I am hearing loud and clear is that trust has been broken,” says Brodhead.
The Commission Board and leadership will continue to meet into the new year to understand the specific ramifications and will plan accordingly.”
Edmonton City Council decision signals the end of Edmonton Metropolitan Region Transit Commission — Edmonton Metropolitan Transit Services Commission
On December 14, 2022, Edmonton City Council voted no to budgeting their portion of the regional transit costs during the City’s ongoing budget discussions. This means the Edmonton Metropolitan Transit Services Commission (EMTSC) will be unlikely to fulfill its mandate and will have to consider all
www.emtsc.ca
The_Cat
Senior Member
I think one thing that could help is having a hub where multiple suburban buses can stop, if it's not already done. For example, St. Albert and Sherwood Park could have a connection at City Centre Mall with the Churchill LRT.. Also, Edmonton could invest in message boards showing upcoming buses.
BrettB
Active Member
That's really a good idea - and the EMTSC planned that at Gov't Centre, where there's plenty of capacity. But now there is nothing anyone can do to force St. Albert Transit, for example, to serve any destination in the city, let alone a central hub.
BrettB
Active Member
I'm trying to give Sohi's tweets on this topic the benefit of the doubt, but I'm finding them really naive. If I'm a mayor outside the city, I'm going to be feeling really burned right now and not willing to cooperate on much any time soon.
CplKlinger
Senior Member
I'd go a step further and argue that they *shouldn't* have any big hubs in Edmonton. If Edmonton is so worried about keeping its dollars within its borders, so should the others. I hope other communities continue to work with each other, but not in any way that benefits Edmontonians. Let them stay on their own little island.
BASE
Active Member
Edmonton was the biggest shareholder in this venture. If they weren’t happy with the budget could they not instead revisit that rather than dumping the whole deal.
How big of a role does the transit unions opposition play in this? Just sad all around ans sadly doesn’t sound like anyone will be changing their minds.
How big of a role does the transit unions opposition play in this? Just sad all around ans sadly doesn’t sound like anyone will be changing their minds.
It's probably the transit union. I really don't see how Councillors Salvador and Stevenson could vote against it unless it was a deal made with the mayor. Even if it's somewhat "less efficient" than ETS, the ETMSC represents a significant increase in transit service and would greatly benefit their constituents. Why would you vote against 10-15 million in additional funding for transit? Even if you live and work in areas well served by transit, visiting friends and family in the suburbs is very common reason people cite for "needing" a car.
Instead we have 5M in extra funding for ETS (which is good, but doesn't seem like much) and this:
Is the hope that Admin will actually find the 240M in savings beyond the 15M/year cut? 240M = 60M/year, which is a pretty penny to play with.
fungus_eater
New Member
This kind of hurts when city council went ahead with the $300m+ Lewis farms recreation centre without any cost decrease to save money, but then voted down and completely abandoned the $15m for regional transit which is arguably much more vital for the future of the city.
This project is cheap but also pretty important relative to other projects and I am just sad now.
This project is cheap but also pretty important relative to other projects and I am just sad now.
The_Cat
Senior Member
I think it's more important for regional buses to have LRT access. For example,
- Strathcona County can have access to Bonnie Doon, University and Downtown LRT.
- Fort Saskatchewan can have access to Clareview and possibly Strathcona County as Sherwood Park/Bremner Expands.
- Spruce Grove/Stony Plain can collaborate on bus service within their communities, with connections to Downtown/Kingsway
- St. Albert can focus on NAIT, University and Downtown.
- Leduc/Airport/Nisku can focus on Century Park (and subsequently Ellerslie) and Strathcona/Downtown
- If 170 Street is built further south, Devon can ultimately connect with Ellerslie LRT.
- Beaumont can continue with Mill Woods.
The key connections will be near LRT.
Edmonton has hurt the trust of its suburban communities, but I think a s suburban region approaching 500,000 people will gain more clout.
- Strathcona County can have access to Bonnie Doon, University and Downtown LRT.
- Fort Saskatchewan can have access to Clareview and possibly Strathcona County as Sherwood Park/Bremner Expands.
- Spruce Grove/Stony Plain can collaborate on bus service within their communities, with connections to Downtown/Kingsway
- St. Albert can focus on NAIT, University and Downtown.
- Leduc/Airport/Nisku can focus on Century Park (and subsequently Ellerslie) and Strathcona/Downtown
- If 170 Street is built further south, Devon can ultimately connect with Ellerslie LRT.
- Beaumont can continue with Mill Woods.
The key connections will be near LRT.
Edmonton has hurt the trust of its suburban communities, but I think a s suburban region approaching 500,000 people will gain more clout.
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Seamusmuldrew
Active Member
I hate to push back here but I think this whole narrative of Edmonton betraying neighbouring communities and being greedy is a bit overstated. I only say this because the residents of neighbouring communities use CoE roads and services at a far greater rate than Edmontonians using neighbouring communities’ services. I absolutely see this as a let down though, I was certainly excited for regional transit. I’m also a tad frustrated that there wasn’t a way to get the union on board (oversimplifying) cause I think that could possibly have changed the outcome.
CplKlinger
Senior Member
I understand where you're coming from, and I agree that betrayl is a strong term (I wouldn't use it in this context), I nonetheless believe that Edmonton's neighbours are justified in viewing this as a trust-breaking decision (as Councillor Brodhead of St. Albert stated). Edmonton really beat the drums for the regional initiative to begin with, and strung them along big time.
I would view this decision differently if they had made this decision more in advance, like last time the EMTSC had gone to council. But to wait until the last minute when so many other communities already passed budgets that accounted for the EMTSC is, I think, being a very poor regional player. Any future regional collaborations will likely be viewed with heavy skepticism among other communities now, because no matter how eager a YEG council might seem to work with them, an election could cause a complete about-face where new councilors act with complete disregard to past commitments. If eight years of work can be thrown out in one hour-and-a-half debate, then I truly hope that communities in the region remember this in the future when other opportunities for collaboration are considered.
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Seamusmuldrew
Active Member
I definitely agree with you on your points here, and hate to see work that was not only done by councillors and mayors but the people working bts at emtsc have their work thrown out the window. It also confuses me the Lewis Farms couldn’t be scaled back but this was just too much for the city, which I think someone else pointed out.
BrettB
Active Member
All for $15 million in a $3.3 billion budget
The_Cat
Senior Member
The sad thing is that. Edmonton Transit would rather advocate for the drug addicts and creeps that ride the bus for free rather than support a regional effort that would have benefited everybody.