An almost one hour, sometimes chippy discussion, on public transit in Thurlow Ward was a major focus of Belleville city council yesterday.
At issue was a motion by Councillor Paul Carr that residents in the area of Ward 2, now being served with transit buses as part of a pilot project, be given an online survey asking if they’d accept some of the costs of the service being included in their property taxes.
Some on council, including Mayor Mitch Panciuk, believed all residents, urban and rural, should be asked whether they want to pay for public transit but in the end council supported a survey for Ward 2 residents only.
“It (survey) doesn’t mean the elimination (of service) it simply means asking for more information so again good leadership in my books, I know I’ve heard it from others, is to represent people, is to hear from them.”
In 2019 Belleville’s Transit Advisory Committee, supported by council, conducted a survey of Ward 2 residents only asking if residents in the built-up areas north of the 401 would pay for a public transit system on their taxes and about 70% said no.
Mayor Mitch Panciuk said such a question on a survey now, whether it be asked of only Thurlow residents or those city-wide, would receive a predictable answer to that question and it would be negative.
The mayor, echoed by others, said public transit was very important, especially during a climate emergency, and was a heavily taxpayer-subsidized service everywhere in the country.
“If we asked people on an online survey whether they wanted to pay for a public library system, I believe most would say no because they don’t use it. If we followed that kind of advice we’d be without a library.”
There was a little edgy back and forth between councillors Carr and fellow Thurlow representative Bill Sandison when Sandison, commenting on a 2019 transit committee motion made by Carr in 2019, said Carr made “disparaging remarks” on social media following a committee decision.
A bit later Carr chastised Sandison for calling his remarks “nonsense.”
Mayor Panciuk had to intervene a few times to cool the discussion down, ruling on “points of honour” and “points of personal privilege.”
Carr’s motion for an online survey of Thurlow ward residents only, was supported by Councillor Chris Malette who said a survey and its results did not make for a final decision on public transit for Thurlow.
“All we’re asking is we’ll have a more fulsome picture of ridership numbers at that point (spring operating budget talks), we’ll also have the results of the survey and we’ll have those two vital pieces of information before us when we make that decision and that is all we’re doing at this point.”
Gas tax money has been paying for the Thurlow transit service pilot project (Route 9) but that money runs out in September.
There was a recorded vote on Carr’s motion for a survey of Thurlow residents only, and council passed it with only councillors Feeney and McCaw, and Mayor Panciuk voting against.
