Transit Commission

M. Olsen WHEREAS the COVID-19 pandemic has caused untold hardship for thousands of people across the City of Ottawa, in all wards; and, WHEREAS this has meant that some people have not been able to receive medical treatment they needed, whether for COVID-19 or other illnesses or conditions, but especially for those related to mental health and addictions; and, WHEREAS the City and OC Transpo have chosen to generate revenue by ticketing people who do not wear masks where they are supposed to; and, WHEREAS revenues collected could alleviate the inability of people affected to have access to needed medical services; THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that all revenues collected by the City and OC Transpo with respect to people not wearing masks be diverted or channelled to help the City's health-care system provide services on mental health and addictions that may otherwise not have a source of funding. Following discussions, the motion was

WHEREAS the Family DayPass for OC Transpo is only available on Saturdays, Sundays and statutory holidays, allowing a family group to ride all day on a single DayPass for $10.75; and WHEREAS a family can be made up of as many as six people, with a maximum of two aged 13 or older; and WHEREAS providing additional opportunities for families to ride public transit promotes future ridership; and WHEREAS it would be beneficial to families to have the Family DayPass also available during March Break, the months of July and August, and the two-week school board over the Christmas week and New Year’s holiday period; WHEREAS providing additional opportunities for families to ride public transit during peak tourist seasons will create an economic boost for Ottawa businesses; and WHEREAS staff has not yet been able to fully quantify the financial impacts of this change, which could potentially be revenue positive, neutral or negative to the City, but anticipate that any one-time administrative costs and/ or modest revenue impact (if any) can be accommodated through the existing proposed Transit Services operating budget and/or Transit Reserve Fund. THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT OC Transpo implement the Family DayPass during the March Break as scheduled in 2021 by the four school boards in Ottawa, beginning on the Saturday through to, and including, the following Sunday; and THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT OC Transpo implement the Family DayPass from July 1 to September 6, 2021; and

WHEREAS public transit is a core service in the City of Ottawa, and WHEREAS transit is considered an essential service in our city transportation infrastructure and therefore operations were not reduced during the COVID-19 pandemic, and WHEREAS it is expected that pandemic-related measures implemented since the beginning of the year will remain in effect for an extended period, and WHEREAS residents in lower income brackets need reliable and affordable transportation, particularly during the pandemic, and WHEREAS essential workers who provide critical services across the City need reliable transit service to get to their employment which can be hospitals, Long Term Care facilities and grocery stores, and WHEREAS public transit is essential as an alternative to private vehicles in reaching our City of Ottawa’s Transportation Master Plan and our green-house gas reduction targets, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Transit Commission recommend that Council request the Mayor to write to the Prime Minister as well as the Federal Minister of Finance and Minister of Infrastructure to request that federal funding for transit includes operational costs along with capital investments, to ensure a healthy city and healthy economy.