Transport 2000 Canada Hot Line

10 April 2009

This is the Transport 2000 Canada Hotline, issue number 1015, for 10 April 2009.

In this issue...

1 - Transport 2000 Calendar

2 - Saskatoon Road Map 2020: Sustainable transportation forum

"Proponents say a light-rail transit system should be built in the city, but it could be decades before the first car leaves the station. Until then, local governments should use existing railways and create plans to build passenger lines to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, said two mass transit proponents at the Road Map 2020 sustainable transportation forum," Jeremy Warren wrote in The StarPhoenix on April 4.

"'The CP and CN Rail corridors and right of ways in Saskatoon are potential gold mines for an eventual light-rail transit line,' said FutuRail associate George Wooldridge on Friday. "'There isn't the financing or the population base for a mega-project like this right now, but what we do propose is the incremental development of an LRT in Saskatoon," the StarPhoenix reported.

FutuRail is a group born from the coalition of local governments which wanted to buy a portion of railway between Regina and Davidson that CN planned to abandon.

http://www2.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/news/local/story.html?id=1b4e21dc-2d97-4010-b433-c08ba0686

3 - Train vers l'aéroport en vue: Jacques Côté, Transport 2000

"Après 14 années de tergiversations et une trentaine d'études, le parcours choisi pour la navette ferroviaire vers l'aéroport sera connu en juin. C'est ce qu'ont indiqué hier les présidents d'Aéroports de Montréal (ADM), James Cherry, et de l'Agence métropolitaine de transport (AMT), Joël Gauthier. Les deux organisations partageront un même corridor ferroviaire, qui partira du centre-ville, assurera le transport vers l'aéroport en 20 minutes et desservira l'ouest de l'île d'ici 2013-2015," Métro a rapporté le, jeudi 9 avril

Deux tronçons restent en lice. Le tronçon du Canadian Pacific est le plus court et probablement le moins cher à aménager. Son tracé est le plus susceptible de desservir la clientèle de l'ouest de l'île, selon Jacques Côté, représentant de Transport 2000 au sein du comité aviseur. Le tronçondu Canadian National présente l'avantage, par contre, d'aboutir à la Gare Centrale plutôt qu'à la Gare Lucien-Lallier (Centre Bell), cette dernière étant beaucoup moins grande," Métro a rapporté.

4 - Proposed Metrolinx governance structure is wrong: Natalie Litwin, President of Transport 2000 Ontario says

Natalie Litwin, President of Transport 2000 Ontario says: "The Ontario government believes taking Metrolinx out of the hands of elected officials is as it should be. I disagree. Firing the Greater Toronto and Hamilton's elected mayors and area chairs and replacing them with unelected appointees represents an autocratic takeover of a board that produced an excellent regional transportation plan."

Litwin says, "The board should be allowed to pursue its goals under strong new leadership and transparency of decision-making that is now slipping away. Metrolinx was told not to include a financial plan in its final report. Also left unresolved is the inherent conflict between MTO with its highway expansion agenda, and the major investments needed to produce region-wide integrated high quality transit. The context of weak transit-oriented land- use planning in much of the region is also not helpful."

5 - Building rural transportation services: TransporAction Pontiac

The following is a summary of a story in the Shawville Equity on April 1. TransporAction Pontiac (TAP) held its annual general meeting on March 25. The group's use has gone up in the last year for both adapted (for persons with disabilities) and community transit use. The Municipality of Pontiac, Campbell's Bay and Fort Coulonge had the highest number of trips for transit. The Municipality of Pontiac is out of the territory for TAP so it is is paid for by the neighbouringcounty's Transports collectifs des Collines.

Shawville, the Municipality of Pontiac and Fort Coulonge had the highest number of trips for adapted transport last year. "It's one of the most impressive services that I've seen in all my years of (social) service," said mayor of Allumette Island Brian Adam, a professional social worker.

"Last year the organization started a new company called Transport Communautaire Pontiac (TCP) which allowed TAP to lower rates to $1.25 a kilometre. TCP purchases vehicles and adapts some of them for wheelchairs and other helper devices. The company has taxi permits — to provide services to TAP.

TCP is the first non-profit company in Quebec to be granted these permits along with special licenses and taxi licenses. 'After we buy two vehicles there will be some really great things done,' saidTAP Director Robert Dupuis.

6 - Another $885 million to troubled automakers

Reporting on April 7 for Sun Media's Peter Zimonjic wrote: "The federal government is giving another $885 million to troubled automakers to underwrite buyer warranties and prop up the auto parts industry. Industry Minister Tony Clement said the deal would include up to $700 million to ensure auto parts manufacturers continue to supply GM and Chrysler. ... Auto parts companies would pay a premium to Export Development Canada. In return, the government would reimburse the parts companies for goods they ship to General Motors or Chrysler should either automaker fail. Another $185.3 million is being put into a warranty fund for GM and Chrysler cars and trucks. ... ".

http://www.winnipegsun.com/money/2009/04/07/9042971.html

7 - Globe salutes Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty

"The reinvention of Dalton McGuinty continues. Known for being risk-averse, the Ontario Premier responded last month to his province's massive economic challenges with a bold budget that undertakes much-needed tax reforms. Last week, he continued to play against type with an aggressive approach toward improving the Greater Toronto Area's inadequate public transit system," the Globe and Mail editorialized on April 6.

"For Mr. McGuinty, the easy part was the overdue announcement of $9-billion in transit funding, most notably $4.6-billion for a new light-rail line in Toronto. Much more indicative of the Premier's newfound impatience was a decision days earlier to remove Toronto Mayor David Miller and other municipal politicians from the board of Metrolinx, the regional transportation planning agency".

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20090406.ETRANSIT06ART1946/

8 - GO looks at new Bowmanville and Milton services

"GO will begin two environmental assessments (EAs) this spring ... one for extending GO Train service from Oshawa to Bowmanville on the Lakeshore East line. The Milton line is also being considered for more service. GO will undertake an EA to look at expanding to all-day service along this busy corridor, between Union Station and Milton GO Station (with) the possibility of adding two tracks along this line, as well as any required infrastructure," Canada Newswire reported on April 7.

"Continuing its focus on expanding and modernizing its fleet of trains and buses, GO Transit is buying 25 new bi-level passenger railcars from Bombardier. The new railcars will be delivered by May 2010, bringing the total in GO's fleet to 482. ... Adding longer trains into service also requires more of GO's more ... locomotives. As a result, GO is exercising its option to buy 10 more MP40 locomotives with delivery starting in late 2010".

Publications page at gotransit.com>

9 - PMO told TSB to hold Gainey report: Arms-length?

"A series of government emails shows an arms-length investigatory body was told that the Prime Minister's Office wanted it to 'hold off' on releasing a safety report into the high-seas death of Laura Gainey. The board was probing the ship's safety practices and also examined Transport Canada's oversight of the tall ship industry.," Michael Tutton wrote for The Canadian Press April 4.

"The series of emails obtained by The Canadian Press are between Aarin Masson, the director of communications at the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, and Roseline MacAngus, who was the director of parliamentary affairs for Rona Ambrose, the minister of intergovernmental affairs at the time.

"On Sept. 3 - five days before last year's federal election was called - Masson wrote to MacAngus, asking her to look at a news release stating the report on the death of Gainey was to be released on Sept. 24.

"On Sept. 12, four days after Prime Minister Stephen Harper called the Oct. 14 election, MacAngus replied, 'My Chief of Staff has just been told by PMO to hold off on the release of the report until after the election'. ... Lawyer Michel Drapeau, an Ottawa- based legal expert on public access to government information, said the prime minister's officials shouldn't give orders to an investigatory body. ..." The Canadian Press reported.

http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/rss/article/article/625314

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