City committee votes to rescind transit fare hike

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This article was published 05/03/2012 (4957 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In the latest twist to Winnipeg’s transit-fare saga, city council’s public works committee has voted to rescind a proposed June fare hike — but that does not mean the 20-cent increase is dead.

Back in the fall, council voted to hike transit fares by 20 cents on June 1 to help pay for the second phase of the Southwest Rapid Transit Corridor. The proposed hike would raise $3.56 million a year toward a corridor that would cost $270 million to build as a busway or $700 million as light rail. The latter figure includes the cost of upgrading the first phase of the bus corridor, which is slated to open April 8.

On Monday afternoon, after Winnipeg Transit budget presentation, the entire public works committee — Couns. Dan Vandal (St. Boniface), Jenny Gerbasi (Fort Rouge), Devi Sharma (Old Kildonan) and Brian Mayes (St. Vital) — voted to rescind the proposed 20-cent hike.

Gerbasi, Mayes and Sharma called the hike unfair, while committee chairman Vandal – who voted in favour of the hike last fall — said he now believes the province may claw back some of its transit funding and may be willing to find another source of funding rapid transit.

The move to rescind the fare hike, however, could be overturned by executive policy committee next week.

Ultimately, as council as a whole will decide on the fare hike on March 20, when the 2012 operating budget is debated.

The Monday committee vote resulted in clapping and cheers in the council chamber, where approximatrely 50 people had gathered to watch the meeting. The gathering was moved into the council’s main chamber because 28 people registered to address the committee, mostly to oppose the 20-cent transit fare hike.

The meeting will be adjourned to Tuesday morning if the agenda is not complete by 5 p.m.