The City of St. Albert will receive $795,334 from the provincial government to put towards transit funding as operations recover from the pandemic.
On Wednesday, April 13, the Alberta government officially announced a commitment of $79.5 million in transit funding to assist 26 Alberta municipalities facing low ridership at this stage in the pandemic. The funding will be provided in partnership with the federal government, which has committed the same amount to Alberta. Both contributions total $159 million.
Part of a new provincial program called Alberta Relief for Shortfalls for Transit Operators (RESTOR), funding is distributed based on ridership data from 2019 numbers gathered by the Canadian Urban Transit Association. Among the municipalities receiving the top funding within the greater Edmonton area, Edmonton will receive $66.97 million, Strathcona County $1.34 million, and Spruce Grove $113,151.
Mayor Cathy Heron said the funding commitment was “welcome news” during the official announcement in Edmonton.
“We’ve been hit very hard by the pandemic and there’s really only two choices to make up the difference,” Heron said. Of the two options — increasing property taxes and decreasing services — Heron said St. Albert wants to avoid pushing the burden of pandemic recovery on to residents.
Heron noted the second option, cutting service levels, can be a “vicious cycle.”
“If you don't have an efficient transit system — if the buses aren't frequent and if they're not well maintained — you lose ridership,” Heron said. “Then we're in a downward spiral.”
Heron also thanked the province in her capacity as president of Alberta Municipalities.
“This funding will be used to re-invest in transit in St. Albert and municipalities across Alberta, to make it efficient and make it the right choice for transportation to and from work,” Heron said, noting transit systems play a crucial role in avoiding single-car use and its impacts on the environment and infrastructure costs.
Rajan Sawhney, minister of transportation, highlighted the importance of transit for students returning to on-campus learning, seniors, and other vulnerable populations.
“As people start returning to work, public transit is a critical component to Alberta's economic recovery,” Sawhney said.
Transit sales not yet recovered
In 2020, the City of St. Albert saw a $2.3-million decrease in transit sales and user fees due to reduced volume from COVID-19, according to the City's 2021 budget.
The following year, the City saw a $351,000 increase in revenues due to a rise in the volume of transit services. At the same time, expenses increased by $782,000 as transit levels returned to full service; at the onset of the pandemic, services were reduced by about 100 hours per week.
In an email, City spokesperson Cory Sinclair said St. Albert will use its portion of the funding to help offset reductions in revenue for 2022.
“[The funding] will help maintain the service levels our citizens expect and encourage confidence and ridership on our St. Albert transit service,” Sinclair said in the email. “Council will not need to approve these funds as they will be incorporated into the public operations department revenue specifically for transit.”
