St. Albert city councillor Wes Brodhead says he doesn't know anything about a supposed regional transit system in the works, following the now-official dissolution of the Edmonton Metropolitan Transit Services Commission.
Last week the Edmonton Journal reported a new regional transit plan in the Edmonton metropolitan area is being discussed between unnamed city administrations, with Amalgamated Transit Union Local 569 president Steve Bradshaw going as far to say the new plan could be implemented as soon as September.
Brodhead, who served as the chair of the board for the Edmonton Metropolitan Transit Services Commission (EMTSC), said he hasn't heard any details about the supposed plan, to the point he hesitated to even label it a plan.
“I don't even know what to call it, whether it's a scheme or whether it's a planning structure ... the only thing that I know is there's been some kind of preliminary discussions at a very high level between administrations,” he said.
Bradshaw said he's “in the loop, but not at the table,” and what he knows of the preliminary discussions come from sources at the City of Edmonton.
“As far as increased service levels go, that's a budget line,” Bradshaw said, meaning any direct changes to transit frequency and routes in either Edmonton or St. Albert would require council approval.
“When it comes to added service, each individual municipality is going to have to make that decision, as far as working together.”
City of St. Albert spokesperson Nicole Lynch confirmed in an email administration has been in contact with Edmonton counterparts, although she did not provide further details.
“The City of St. Albert is committed to ongoing collaboration with all regional municipal partners and continues to believe in the benefits of a regional approach to public transit when and where it makes sense,” Lynch said. “We are exploring ways we might be able to continue to work together in this area.”
Brodhead reiterated any changes to service levels throughout the region would need to be approved by the respective councils of each municipality involved, which takes time.
“A service change isn't done overnight,” he said. “That doesn't mean it's impossible to get something done by September ... but in any case, I really have been kept in the dark. Nobody has reached out to me.”
“Increase in service for St. Albert Transit, whether it be an increase in frequency to West Edmonton Mall or an increase in frequency to the University or to downtown Edmonton, that has budgetary impacts, but we haven't been asked to do any of that,” Brodhead said.
“We'd all want to see the plan and the rationale behind it, and what's actually being proposed here.”
Officially dissolved
The EMTSC had planned to amalgamate transit services from eight municipalities in an effort to provide seamless regional transit services starting next month, but Edmonton's decision to withdraw from the commission last December made the project unviable.
On April 13, after nearly fourth months of settling outstanding financial matters and asset disposal, the EMTSC's board voted to officially dissolve as of May 31.
During the April 13 meeting, multiple board members gave eulogy-like speeches as a final send-off for the regional transit system that had been in the works for nearly a decade.
Aside from thanking EMTSC staff and fellow board members for their efforts on the project, many representatives offered commentary on the future of regional transit in the Edmonton area.
“It might look different, it might take longer, but I know we're still going to get there and it is a direct result of the work that folks have put in here on this board for many years,” said Edmonton city councillor Andrew Knack.
Fort Saskatchewan city councillor Gordon Harris was less optimistic.
“I'm not necessarily convinced that there's a future for broader regional transit,” Harris said. “It would be a long time in the future, but there are opportunities for sub-regional context.”
“I am disappointed — extremely disappointed — that we've gotten to this point today. It is a failure beyond failures that I've ever witnessed.”
