The Nee Tahi Buhn Band has received a grant from the provincial government to implement a public transport service that will connect Southside residents to Burns Lake.
Communities and organizations had until Oct. 28, 2016 to apply for the so-called community vehicle grant program, in which the B.C. government pays up to 70 per cent of the purchase price of a new or used vehicle, and up to 70 per cent of the estimated operating cost of a transportation service. Skin Tyee First Nation and Lake Babine Nation have also applied for the program, but their application was not approved.
“We’re really excited and happy that ours were approved,” said Debbie West, Nee Tahi Buhn’s general manager.
The new service will involve a Chevrolet Suburban connecting Southside passengers to Burns Lake two or three times a week. West said that although the route hasn’t been determined, the band is considering including the territories of Skin Tyee First Nation and Cheslatta Carrier Nation on the route.
“We noticed that a lot of our members hitchhike,” said West. “A lot of people have to pay others to come to Burns Lake to do basic shopping; so this will be really beneficial to our members; it will help them access medical and dental services.”
Now that the grant has been approved, the band also needs to hire a driver. The service is expected to be implemented by May 2017. Check ads in the Lakes District News within the next few weeks for more information.
According to the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, applications for the community vehicle program were evaluated based on predetermined criteria, including need for service, social and economic benefits, cost effectiveness, accessibility and interconnectivity. Preference was given to applicants representing First Nations communities or partnered with First Nations communities, as well as to remote communities where no services are currently available.
The ministry has more than doubled the provincial funding for this grant program, from $800,000 to up to $2 million, over three years. This includes up to $752,000 in capital funding for the purchase of community vehicles and up to $1.2 million in operating funding.
“If the program budget is expanded in the coming years, another intake may be announced,” said the ministry in a statement.
Granisle to have a new transport service
The Village of Granisle’s application for the community vehicle program was also approved.
“We have just received this exciting news,” said Granisle Mayor Linda McGuire last week. “Transportation is always a crucial need in small communities with a seniors demographic.”
McGuire said the grant will enhance the already established ‘better at home’ program.
“We will be formulating a plan to assist our seniors and local residents with transportation to access necessities such as banking, medical appointments and groceries away from our community,” she explained. “One of the main focus will be to ensure we have a long-term vision for the sustainability of the community grant vehicle program.”
McGuire was not able to provide any more details about the new transport service at this point.
The new transport services will connect Granisle and Southside residents to the the Hwy. 16 transportation action plan, which is a $5-million plan designed to alleviate hitch-hiking along the so-called Highway of Tears by providing a low-cost bus service along the highway corridor.
The proposed fare is $5 per segment and the new bus services will run three days per week.
The Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako adopted a bylaw earlier this month to establish a bus service between Burns Lake to Smithers and Burns Lake to Prince George. With the adoption of the bylaw, the plan now enters its operational phase and is one step closer to implementation.
Although there are no clear dates for the start of services, the current expectation is that buses will start operating this spring. The original timeline was to have the first buses on the road by December 2016.