Dear Readers, this week’s newsletter is all about better public transit. As of Monday December 8th, you can tap to pay with credit/debit/phone on city buses. This will make it more convenient to take transit when you have visitors, ride occasionally, or forget to refill your ARC card.
But I want to share with you some concerning news about uncertainty related to Federal Public Transit Funding...
We have plans to build new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) to make it quicker and more reliable to get around the city. Route 4 for instance (the bus you’ve likely taken from Bonnie Doon to West Edm mall) is one of our highest performing routes and included in the planned BRT expansion. While the Valley Line to West Edm. Mall construction is scheduled for 2028, it is important for us to keep building high frequency transit where we see the highest demand. BRT would create dedicated bus lanes in specific areas to allow the buses to move more quickly and efficiently without weaving in and out of traffic.
As Edmonton continues growing towards a city of 2 million people, we cannot rely on continuously building more costly roads and lanes to accommodate increased traffic. We need to make sure we have alternatives that are safe, fast, frequent, and reliable for everyone. The BRT plan was supposed to be in place for when we reach 1.25 million people, and we are only a few new neighbours away from reaching that.
The decision point for City Council will be as part of the 4 year budget this November 2026, and failure to secure funding from other orders of government would delay this project even further. In the fall federal budget, Prime Minister Carney folded the Canada Public Transit Fund into a program that covers infrastructure more generally. I am concerned this will reduce federal dollars dedicated to public transit funding, and we need to send him a message so he knows it must remain a priority.
Will you show your support?
We created a letter tool to send the Prime Minister, Premier, and Mayor a letter here:
As the weather turns colder, we are reminded again of the enormous cost of the social and humanitarian crisis on our streets in the richest province in Canada. As a resident of Whyte avenue, I see it everywhere around me. Just last night, a gentleman huddled in a sleeping bag in the alleyway next door.. The invisible become visible, often in transit stations, bus shelters, libraries, the remnants of public spaces.
Following my last post, (Raw Deal in the Region: Edmonton's Free Rider Problem) when you pay your property taxes, a percentage of your taxes are subsidizing the costs of the region, helping offset the taxes for property owners in the region. How much is that amount? And what do we do about it?
The City of Edmonton effectively provides various services and infrastructure projects for a Census Metropolitan Area population of 1,563,600, while only generating property tax from its resident population of 1,128,800.90. Before jumping to solutions as to how we can fairly recover costs, we need to correctly diagnose the problem.