Mother fears for kids’ safety as Greyhound pullout also parks Thompson’s city bus service By: Dylan Robertson Posted: 7:00 PM CDT Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2018

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This article was published 29/10/2018 (2152 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA — Thompson residents are preparing to trek through the snow Thursday when city bus service hits the brakes, a side-effect of Greyhound’s pullout from the Prairies.

Greyhound announced in early July its intention to end bus service between British Columbia and northern Ontario on Halloween.

Some remote communities are awaiting a private-market replacement for their regular Greyhound coach, but Thompson had contracted Greyhound staff to drive, maintain and repair a fleet of three city buses, and it hasn’t yet found a replacement.

Local resident Jackie Clemons said without bus service her children will have to contend with the city’s high crime rate on their walk to high school.

“You could get jumped or get robbed. I do send my kids with lunch money and that’s a concern,” she said.

Clemons is also worried about residents ill-prepared for the elements; Thursday’s forecast calls for snow and temperatures between -3C and -9C.

Last Friday, officials announced there would be no bus service in the city for at least two weeks after Greyhound leaves Wednesday.

On July 31, Greyhound notified Thompson officials it would be cancelling its contract. Two private-sector alternatives were identified, but councillors wanting more information had to put the process on hold during the campaign leading up to last week’s municipal election.

The new council first meets Nov. 13, when they could ratify an operating agreement.

Back at the start of July, Manitoba Infrastructure Minister Ron Schuler proposed Ottawa pay Greyhound to extend service by at least 60 days, to allow other businesses to fill cancelled routes. Transport Minister Marc Garneau rejected that idea a month ago.

“Our understanding is that most Greyhound routes in Manitoba will continue to have scheduled bus services after Greyhound ceases operations,” Schuler wrote.

Provincial NDP Leader Wab Kinew said the Pallister government ought to have pushed Greyhound harder to carve out some sort of extension, both for Thompson residents and elsewhere in the province.

“They haven’t done enough to keep Greyhound operational in Manitoba,” he said, but wouldn’t outright say if the government ought to have offered a subsidy.

Kinew also said Thompson residents will have their safety compromised due to the PC government’s austerity.

The province changed its transit funding formula from a system under the previous NDP government that matched municipal allocations.

“The cuts that the Pallister government is making are felt years after the fact,” Kinew said.

Outgoing Mayor Dennis Fenske said it’s not clear yet whether either change will impact the town’s ability to find new transit.

Municipal Relations Minister Jeff Wharton said the province’s $1.1 million of “unconditional municipal operating funding” for Thompson should help hey city prioritize its needs. He also noted all three levels of government chipped in for a half-million-dollar fund last year that added a new bus, handyman and shelters for the city.

Clemons said that until bus service resumes she’ll be getting up a half-hour early to make sure her kids have enough time to trek to school.

“There will be a lot of unhappy parents here for the next few weeks,” she said.

The federal Liberals are expected to reveal plans Wednesday morning to deal with Greyhound’s pullout. Garneau said he’ll have measures to address areas that the private sector hasn’t filled.

“We’re aware of the fact that people who take the bus are sometimes some of the least-wealthy people, and they’re vulnerable in some cases — particularly Indigenous communities — if they don’t have bus access,” he told the Free Press.

“We’re very conscious of all that.”

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca