Re: Letter to the editor: St. Albert Gazette, Sept. 16.
I am writing in response to the letter to the editor regarding the funding announcement and photo opportunity in St. Albert on Sept. 2.
As Minister of Transportation as well as a former bus driver, I understand and share the frustrations of riders whose travels were delayed as a result of this event.
It was my understanding that this photo opportunity was to be held on an out-of-service bus. Both my staff and I were surprised that this was not the case. Due to this last-minute change, we endeavoured to complete this portion of the event as quickly as possible. As a result, we did not adequately communicate with riders regarding our presence on the bus.
I apologize for delaying the passengers on the bus, and I have directed my staff and department to ensure our events do not disrupt riders’ travel plans in the future.
My office has been in contact with Mrs. Grossman, who wrote the Sept. 16 letter to the Gazette, to apologize for the incident.
Beyond that, I would like to sincerely apologize to anyone whose day was negatively impacted by our event.
Brian Mason, Minister of Transportation
