Council to discuss pilot project for high school bus pass program
A motion going to city council Tuesday could be the first step in approving a pilot project that would approve bus passes for students in grade nine at Clarke Road Secondary school.
Ward 2 Coun. Shawn Lewis is the author of the motion, along with Ward 3 Coun. Peter Cuddy. Lewis said this conversation started before the COVID-19 pandemic with then Coun. Phil Squire.
“Councillor Cuddy, who was a school board trustee at the time, was part of that conversation now that he's been elected. He and I have carried forward. We've had some discussion with the Thames Valley District School Board with both trustees and administration,” he said.
The Thames Valley District School Board of Trustees began examining what a pilot project would look like in 2023.
“What we looked at was Clark Road Secondary School and to do a pilot project so that we can gather data to look at how successful a program could be and if it is successful, then we would hope that the project could expand,” Thames Valley District School Board of Trustee Chair Beth Mai said.
The idea is to give bus passes to grade nine students at Clarke Road Secondary in the fall of 2024, and then expand that to grade nine and 10 in 2025 to gain data as to how effective the project could be if rolled out city wide.
Mai said similar projects done in other cities have shown great success.
“Increased autonomy for students, increasing independence for young people, allowing them to be able to get to extracurricular activities that are before and after school, looking at getting to volunteer opportunities or part time jobs,” she explained.
The passes are similar to Western University and Fanshawe College students who receive one as part of their tuition, however the cost of this initial project would not fall on families.
“In the long run, if ridership increases, then we get more gas tax back from the federal government to fund transit. So we may have to put some money upfront, but if it's successful, we may be able to get sources of funding from other levels of government to continue this," said Lewis.
If the pilot is successful, the city and school board will look to roll it out to the rest of the city in a phased approach.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
India's foreign minister reacts to murder charges, claims Canada welcomes criminals
India's Foreign Affairs Minister accused Canada of welcoming criminals from his country in response to the RCMP's recent arrests in a homicide that has roiled tensions between the two countries.
15-year-old boy stabbed in Ottawa on Thursday dies
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' has died at 79
Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' and went down with the ship as the captain in 'Titanic,' has died.
'A tiny city:' Pro-Palestinian campus protesters organize for another week
Pro-Palestinian activists have set up tents at universities in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver and Montreal, following a wave of similar protests at campuses in the United States linked to the Israel-Hamas war.
Lawsuit against Meta asks if Facebook users have right to control their feeds using external tools
Do social media users have the right to control what they see — or don't see — on their feeds?
A Holocaust survivor will mark that history differently after the horrors of Oct. 7
This year's Holocaust Remembrance Day, which begins on Sunday evening in Israel, carries a heavier weight than usual for many Jews around the world.
Princess Anne lays wreath at Battle of Atlantic ceremony; honours late Queen
Princess Anne saluted Canadian veterans and current forces members and honoured her late mother during separate ceremonies Sunday in Victoria as she wrapped up a three-day British Columbia West Coast royal visit.
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.