Grant could help keep Norfolk buses running

Councillor Adam Veri, Norfolk Ward 6.

Luke Edwards

Grant Haven Media

One way or another, Norfolk County is hopeful a provincial fund will help pay for a portion of public transit in the municipality.

Councillors supported a staff plan to apply for an Ontario Transit Investment Fund grant at the July 8 council-in-committee meeting. This was despite some ambiguity about the requirements as well as a plan from the South Central Ontario Region Economic Development Corporation (SCOR) to apply for the same fund.

“Despite the ambiguity of all this, staff believe it’s worth applying,” said John Regan, director of economic development.

The Ride Norfolk Transportation Master Plan that was approved earlier this year included some ambitious goals to improve public transit in Norfolk. However, when staff presented the plan, councillors voted to maintain current service levels until the end of the year and discuss its future when budget deliberations take place.

At the time, councillors said it would give the municipality some time to get a better handle on what provincial funding levels would be following the completion of the Community Transportation Grant that was helping offset some of the costs to run the service.

According to a staff report, OTIF “provides time-limited, application-based funding, for up to five years to support the start-up and growth of transit services in areas where there is a clearly identified transit service gap.”

In applying to the fund, Regan said the county could look to include Saturday service, a high priority, as an expansion. The fund makes mention of supporting expanded or new services.

“We’re not sure if the funding is going to support that status quo but we’re willing to give it a shot,” he said.

SCOR is preparing its own application and will be seeking support from Norfolk County, which gave Mayor Amy Martin some pause.

“I want to make sure our application doesn’t undermine another application,” she said.

However, staff were comfortable that would not be the case.

The OTIF funding provides up to 50 per cent cost sharing for five years. Coun. Adam Veri worried about a costly expansion using OTIF money and what may happen after the grant term is up.

“I am concerned about… we’re going to build this large system that all of a sudden we have to crater someday,” he said.

The staff report said 8,500 rides were offered between January and June of this year. Last year ridership was just shy of 21,500. Including Saturday service would increase annual ridership by an estimated 3,800.

Implementing a Saturday service would cost around $100,000.

With the loss of the Community Transportation Grant money, and council’s decision to maintain current service levels, Norfolk is on the hook for an additional $71,000 in 2025, for a total level impact of $271,000 this year.