By Shane O'Neill

Council approves new senior bus pass rate

Jan 24, 2017 | 5:37 AM

City council got down to business in a big way at the first meeting of 2017.

On Monday, council approved a more than 50 per cent reduction to the cost of the senior bus pass, from $52.50 to $25.00, starting in March.

The meeting opened with a presentation from Gisele O’Neill, a senior resident of the Columbian Centre on 13th St. W., on the transportation challenges faced by seniors who are unable to drive themselves.

“It’s the cost, especially the cost, and it doesn’t go everywhere we would like to,” she said.

Councillor Dennis Nowoselsky tabled the motion for the reduced rate. He said the decision was a long time coming in a city with an aging population.

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“In a nutshell, [it’s] a progressive move by my colleagues on council,” Nowoselsky said after the vote. “It’s long overdue, it should have been done years ago.”

The decision was based partly on the city’s move towards attaining an ‘age-friendly’ designation from the World Health Organization. 

Making public transit more affordable, and easier to access once new wheelchair accessible busses arrive later this year, will go a long way to achieving the goals of the designation.

But for Nowoselsky, helping to ease the burden on the pocketbooks of many residents living on fixed incomes and modest pensions was the biggest motivator for the new rate.

“Seniors 60 and up, they need a few breaks,” he said, “the cost of living is higher, they’re pinching.”

The new $25.00 seniors pass will be available starting in March.

Council wrap-up

On top of the new bus pass rate for seniors, council also moved to implement an identical pass for post-secondary students in the city. Students at Sask Polytech and SIAST will be eligible to purchase bus passes at the reduced rate of $25.00 per month, for a one-year trial period, beginning in March. Some on council believe a rate in-line with the new seniors’ rate, or the subsidized high school student rate of $20.00 would help increase ridership with Prince Albert Transit and alleviate some of the traffic around campuses. A one-year trial period will give council time to consider the impact the new pass has on ridership, traffic and the students who use it.

Another motion approved Monday evening was a decision to discontinue the purchasing of bottled water to distribute at city functions.

Tabled by Councillor Terra Lennox-Zepp, the motion passed by a narrow margin. Mayor Dionne, who spoke in support of the motion, said even though bottled water would still be available for purchase at city facilities like the Alfred Jenkins Field House and the Art Hauser Centre, the symbolic gesture of offering tap water at meetings is an important one.

He explained by offering city-treated tap water, the city would be promoting the high quality of Prince Albert drinking water, as well as taking a stance on environmental protection.

The next meeting of council will take place on Feb. 13.

Shane O’Neill is paNOW’s city hall reporter and weekend anchor on 900 CKBI. He can be reached at shane.oneill@panow.com or tweet him @stroneill

EDITOR’S NOTE: A previous version of this story stated the new secondary student rate for bus passes was going to be investigated, and not yet approved. At the meeting, Coun. Lennox-Zepp motioned to have the new rate implemented for a one-year period, Coun. Miller seconded the motion, and council voted to approve the motion on Monday evening.