“Could be a model for all of Canada” – TAA

Supported by Transport Action Atlantic, the Southwest New Brunswick Transit Authority presented the case for RuralLynx to provincial transportation minister Bill Fraser on October 27th. Although there’s nothing official yet, chair Stan Choptiany (second from left) is optimistic that funding will be found to bring public transit to Charlotte County in 2017. Also in the photo (l. to r.) are Laurie Parris, executive director of the Charlotte County Multicultural Association; Minister Fraser; TAA president Ted Bartlett; St. Stephen town councillor Ghislaine Wheaton; and TAA board member Michael Perry.

RuralLynx may soon be a reality in New Brunswick’s Charlotte County, bringing renewed mobility to the people of small towns and rural communities and connecting them with the public services they need in Saint John.  The Southwest New Brunswick Transit Authority Inc. pitched its business plan to provincial Transportation Minister Bill Fraser and senior officials on October 27^th.  While the minister’s response was positive, there has been no firm commitment of the necessary financial support that would enable the bus service to finally hit the road next year.

Yet Stan Choptiany, the former mayor of Saint Andrews who chairs the authority’s board, has a positive feeling that it’s all going to fall into place.  The project, strongly supported from the start by Transport Action Atlantic, has found favour with both the MLA and MP for the area, and is well positioned to receive a portion of its necessary funding from United Way.

TAA emphasizes that the amount of money needed from the provincial coffers is miniscule in comparison to the overall budget of the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, and is an investment that will ultimately result in significant overall savings to government.  A follow-up message to Minister Fraser urged him to take a “leap of faith” to support an imaginative proposal that could be a model for all of Canada.