BC Transit Service Levels in Question in Kamloops

A presentation to Kamloops City Council by two BC Transit officials on service levels in the community that has prompted BC Minister Todd Stone to comment.

Senior Regional Transit Manager Erin Felker and Senior Transit Planner Shilpa Panicker suggested on Tuesday to city council in their presentation that there would be no additional funding for new service until 2018.

City Councilor Donovan Cavers was surprised to hear in their presentation that the 6000 hour expansion was now off the table and new funding over the next three years was in question.

Photo Credit: KamloopsBCNow

BC Transportation Minister Todd Stone called suggestions of funding cuts premature and said he was disappointed to hear that BC Transit said that no new service would happen in the city.

The Kamloops MLA said that the city has seen transit funding increase every year over the past six years and in fact he argues that BC spends the highest per capita of any province in the country.

Too bad @toddstonebc has $2.5 billion for highways but can't fund better transit. #Kamloops Council was willing to pay our share.

— BCSEA Kamloops (@BCSEAKamloops) March 31, 2015

Stone said that the province recently announced that BC Transit would undergo a crown review to find efficiencies, which is one of the last of such reviews.

The Transportation Minister emphasized that this review does not mean changes to funding for communities like Kamloops is a certainty.

Cavers argued that while the new BC transportation plan "BC on the move" contained $2.5 Billion on highway upgrades, he argues that transit and cycling infrastructure have not kept up.

The BC Government is proud that every community in province with over 10,000 residents has access to public transit.

Photo Credit: BC Transit