THUNDER BAY – Fort William First Nation Chief Michele Solomon has expressed disappointment as a recommendation to cut public transit service to the community makes its way to Thunder Bay’s city council without consultation.
“There’s a lot of concerns with regards to this news and the way it has come to me,” she said in an interview.
City administration included the elimination of the 6-Mission bus route that serves the neighbouring First Nation on a list of recommended service cuts that council will consider on Monday.
The recommendations respond to city council’s direction to administration earlier this year to find $2.2 million in annual staffing and service cuts by 2024, without specifying where they should fall.
Concern over that uncertainty and the impact to public services had divided council, with some of the cuts passing by just a one-vote margin.
The proposed cuts are also facing push-back from the city’s largest union and the hockey community, with both planning to demonstrate in front of city hall at 4:30 p.m. Monday ahead of the council meeting.
Solomon said she first heard of the recommendations late Thursday through a friend.
She called the 6-Mission service important to her community, but added the last-minute notice left her with little meaningful ability to respond.
“That’s the challenging part of this, is I don’t have all that background information,” she said. “I do know anytime I pass that bus, there’s riders on the bus. I know there are people who work out here… who use that bus to get to work. “
“So I know there’s a need for it, but because there’s been no conversation, I don’t have the opportunity to understand in a meaningful way the extent of the impact it’s going to have.”
Solomon said she’s concerned if service is pulled, riders will be left walking along the busy, and sidewalk-less, City Road.
“It can definitely present safety issues for people who may now be forced onto the road to walk, because of the amount of traffic on that road, the nature of the traffic — there’s large transport trucks that are on that road all day and evening.”
Solomon said she hopes the city will take the time to discuss the recommended cut with the First Nation’s council before approving it.
City manager Norm Gale acknowledged in an interview Friday the city did not reach out to Fort William First Nation before recommending the elimination of bus service.
“I expect we will be discussing with officials from Fort William First Nation on this issue and many other issues,” he said when asked if the city would reach out before Monday's meeting.
The proposed cuts would also axe the 4-Neebing bus route, and transit and LIFT+ service on Christmas and New Year’s Day. Altogether, the transit cuts would bring around $280,000 in annual savings.
The Mission and Neebing routes have been identified as the two "lowest-performing" in the city's transit system, averaging just five or six riders per hour.
The city previously piloted an on-demand transit system on the Neebing route using smaller buses in an attempt to maintain service while reducing costs.
Asked if the low ridership numbers influence her view of the recommended cut, Solomon said “that’s exactly the conversation that needs to happen.”
“If I’m presented with the business case of why this is being considered... then I have to take that into consideration,” she said.
“But we also have to take into consideration how safety could be jeopardized by axing this bus route. I would think that’s equally important to the city as it is for me as the chief of this community.”
She’s also concerned over where a cut would leave members of the First Nation who don’t have access to a personal vehicle and rely on the service.
“In my mind, it can contribute to marginalization of people when they don’t have access to public transportation,” she said.
The recently-elected chief suggested the lack of consultation reflected a reversal in efforts to build closer ties between the two communities, a goal the city has enshrined in a relationship agreement and its Indigenous relations and inclusion strategy.
“It’s upsetting to me as the chief of this community, knowing there’s been no conversation with us about it,” she said.
Prior to the pandemic, leaders from the two communities met at least twice a year to discuss respective concerns and areas of mutual interest, Solomon said, but reported those meetings had since dropped off.
“I think now is a good opportunity to get that back on track before making a decision to cut a bus route that services this community,” she said.
“Our relationship with each other is very important – you cannot come to Thunder Bay without coming to the lands of Fort William First Nation. This is our traditional territory. It should be a respectful relationship.”
