ANTIGONISH – The province’s decision to reinstate $53.6 million in grants and funding aimed at providing support for people with disabilities, seniors and education initiatives brought a collective sigh of relief across northeastern Nova Scotia last week from operators and users of community transit.
“It’s been a roller coaster,” Heather Kreffer, executive director of the St. Mary’s Association for Rural Transit (SMART-GO), said in describing the past couple of weeks for the organization and its supporters.
SMART-GO is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing door-to-door, accessible transportation for residents and visitors of the Municipality of the District of St. Mary’s.
The March 10 multi-million-dollar restoration announcement from Premier Tim Houston came just more than two weeks after Finance Minister John Lohr’s provincial budget included a 20 per cent cut in operating funding for organizations such as SMART-GO.
“We are very lucky,” Kreffer offered of the provincial government’s change of heart, noting how the funding slash – an estimated $45,000 – would have been a “huge blow.”
She explained that SMART-GO also faced a substantial loss in revenue with the probable closure of Sherbrooke Opportunities Society (SHOPS), which lost its funding in the original budget. Kreffer noted that SHOPS accounts for approximately 50 per cent of its ridership. But, thankfully for their clients and supporters, SHOPS also benefitted from the second-look by the province.
SMART-GO – like SHOPS and other organizations and programs that had their funding returned – also benefitted from the outrage, through individuals and protests, delivered to the provincial government.
“We are so thankful,” Kreffer said of the support they received from the community, including the St. Mary’s municipal council.
Julie Fox – executive director of the Transit Association of Guysborough (TAG) and a member of the Rural Transportation Association – also referred to the fortune involved with receiving a funding reprieve.
“We are one of the lucky ones,” she said, calling word that the budget decision was “walked back” a “big relief.”
Fox added that TAG operated a “bare bones” operation before the potential 20 per cent reduction in operating funding surfaced.
Fox explained the potential loss of provincial monies came in a year when their fundraising activities were hindered by the Canada Post strike.
“It has been pretty stressful,” she noted.
Richie Connors, executive director of the Antigonish Community Transit Society (ACTS), said what was thought to be a $43,000 reduction in operating funding would have been “devastating.” He noted “another pot” that remains affected by cuts – one that provides monies for transit organizations to carry out business plans – is not an immediate concern for ACTS because the grassroots group is only winding down the first of its current five-year framework.
“It can be expensive,” he said of financing that type of initiative, noting ACTS is hopeful that stream will be returned by the time they are ready to formulate a new business plan.
Noting that ACTS benefits greatly by having free space at the Antigonish Market Square, Connors indicated it is “pretty bare bones,” literally and figuratively, when it comes to keeping the wheels on the buses going round and round.
Although initial word of operating cuts, of course, was stressful, he explained that ACTS took a collective deep breath. Connors remembered some helpful advice board member Jack Beaton, a retired educator who also served as superintendent for the former Strait Regional School Board, offered, cautioning against jumping in with both feet and trying to recoup the anticipated loss through fundraisers and other measures.
“He said, if you show you can cover the shortfalls, you will never get it [the funding] back,” Connors said.
Instead, at the outset – when the decrease in operating funding was on the horizon – ACTS started “outlining our argument” regarding the adverse effect having one of its vehicles would “cost the community,” beyond the monetary one.
“It was an interesting exercise,” Connors noted of beginning to measure the results from losing an average of 70 rides per week, which he described as “significant.”
Describing the sense of relief as “huge,” he reiterated the projected $43,000 loss would have meant “we would have had to make some tough decisions.”
Connors said, even though many of their regular users encouraged ACTS to consider raising fares, the organization decided that they didn’t want to travel that road. He pointed out how it “kills me every week” when he counts nickels and dimes – for him and ACTS, an indication that many riders are often using the last of their money to access the service.
“That’s the last thing that we wanted to do.”
