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Beacon Hill-Cyrville Candidate Tim Tierney and Cumberland Candidate Stephen Blais are calling on City Council to shelve the tunnel portion of the City's current LRT plan until more money can be secured from upper levels of government in favour of building LRT links to Orleans, Kanata, Barrhaven and Riverside South. Read more... 
An east-end candidate has stepped forward with a plan that could increase transit ridership. Stephen Blais, who is running in Cumberland Ward, is suggesting OC Transpo express passes be transferable to spouses and children. He argues the majority of express pass users typically only use public transit to commute to and from work Monday through Friday. Read more...
Stephen Blais will only support inflationary increases to OC Transpo during the next term of council. The two pillars of public transit should be affordability and accessibility. Read more...
Stephen Blais believes express passes should be transferable to spouses and children. The majority of express pass users typically only use public transit to commute to and from work from Monday through Friday. Read more...
An Ottawa City Councillor says the City of Ottawa has already studied the issue of forcing OC Transpo riders who live outside the city limits to pay more to board the bus. Cumberland Ward Councillor Candidate Stephen Blais says OC Transpo is losing out on millions of dollars in extra revenue when it comes to people from outside the city using public transit. Blais points out these residents don't pay Ottawa property taxes. But Councillor Rob Jellet says enforcement would be the issue, telling CFRA News you'd have to have inspectors check license plates at Park N Ride lots. Jellet suggests a transit smart card could allow an extra charge to be applied to residents from outside the city. Cumberland Candidate Stephen Blais supports OC Transpo instituting a separate pass for public transit riders, who reside outside of Ottawa's city limits. “People living outside of our city pay zero Ottawa property taxes or the transit levy that funds our system,” says Blais. “It's time that these people begin paying their fair share of the costs associated with their use of OC Transpo.” Read more...Cumberland Candidate Stephen Blais believes it’s time City Council created an Ottawa Transit Commission, similar to other Canadian cities, to ensure our city embarks on a long-term vision that serves residents by implementing an affordable and accessible model for public transit. “It’s time for the City of Ottawa to move forward with an Ottawa Transit Commission,” says Blais. “A transit commission with representatives with business and transit experience will allow residents to benefit from new ideas and experience that will ultimately lead to improvements to our public transit system.” Read more...
If the longest public transit strike in Ottawa’s history and its aftermath has taught the residents of Ottawa anything it is that city council is too fractured and parochial to manage public transit for our city. On the first day back from the strike, we’ve learned that an administrative error in scheduling had OC Transpo pay 85 bus-drivers overtime. Forgive my ignorance but wasn’t the strike about who could manage scheduling better – the city or the union? Read more... |
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