Corbella: Rural bus line will go bust without a hand up from Alberta government that doesn't seem to care
CONSERVATIVE COLUMNIST SUPPORTS BC NDP GOVT HAND OUTS TO BUSINESS
Licia Corbella
Back in early March, Sunny Balwaria — the president of Cold Shot bus lines — received an unsolicited call from an official with the B.C. government. The government official thanked Balwaria for providing essential inter-city bus service in rural British Columbia and told him he could receive a grant to help survive the effects COVID-19 was having on his small business
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© Provided by Calgary Herald Sunny Balwaria, President, Cold Shot, with Sam Sayegh, President J&L Shuttle Services in the background. Photo taken on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2020 in Edmonton.
What’s ironic about that is Balwaria is an Albertan who lives in Edmonton and has been completely ignored by his own provincial government.
“Today is the third anniversary of us taking over 11 of Greyhound’s rural routes in Alberta and into Northern B.C.,” Balwaria said during a telephone interview on Monday.
As a result of the effects of COVID, Balwaria had to cut back the number of routes he serviced by almost half to just six.
“We had just started turning a profit and then, bam, COVID hit and now we might not make our fourth anniversary, but the Alberta government doesn’t seem to care,” said Balwaria. “The people who use our service are the elderly, people who can’t afford a car or who don’t drive, or (people) who can’t afford insurance. So, we really are an essential service for so many people.”
Under normal circumstances, most Albertans would agree with the Alberta government’s approach. A business is either viable or not and the government shouldn’t be in the business of propping up unprofitable businesses. BUT THEY DO AND THEY DID AND CORBELLA IS GENERALIZING ABOUT A POPULATION THAT IS URBAN AND SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC SHE OF COURSE IS SPEAKING ABOUT RURAL ALBERTANS THOUGH SHE DOESN'T SAY THAT BECAUSE IT WOULD BE 'DIVISIVE'
What’s ironic about that is Balwaria is an Albertan who lives in Edmonton and has been completely ignored by his own provincial government.
“Today is the third anniversary of us taking over 11 of Greyhound’s rural routes in Alberta and into Northern B.C.,” Balwaria said during a telephone interview on Monday.
As a result of the effects of COVID, Balwaria had to cut back the number of routes he serviced by almost half to just six.
“We had just started turning a profit and then, bam, COVID hit and now we might not make our fourth anniversary, but the Alberta government doesn’t seem to care,” said Balwaria. “The people who use our service are the elderly, people who can’t afford a car or who don’t drive, or (people) who can’t afford insurance. So, we really are an essential service for so many people.”
Under normal circumstances, most Albertans would agree with the Alberta government’s approach. A business is either viable or not and the government shouldn’t be in the business of propping up unprofitable businesses. BUT THEY DO AND THEY DID AND CORBELLA IS GENERALIZING ABOUT A POPULATION THAT IS URBAN AND SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC SHE OF COURSE IS SPEAKING ABOUT RURAL ALBERTANS THOUGH SHE DOESN'T SAY THAT BECAUSE IT WOULD BE 'DIVISIVE'
But COVID is not normal circumstances.
CORBELLA NEEDS AN EXCUSE TO JUSTIFY THE NEED FOR THIS SERVICE
COVID forced Balwaria to run his 20-passenger buses at half capacity (even though that wasn’t a requirement of the provincial government) because his customers demanded more space during the pandemic in an effort to stay safe. Plus, ridership is down and costs are up.
On March 30, the B.C. government put out a press release announcing that 20 inter-city bus operators and 55 regional airports were approved to receive $6.2 million worth of funding to help them stay open and provide essential transportation services to British Columbians.
“Our government is working to keep vital services operating during this unprecedented time, and this funding will help British Columbians — especially those in rural areas of the province — have a safe and reliable way to travel to essential appointments,” said Rob Fleming, B.C.’s minister of transportation and infrastructure at the time.
The news release shows that Cold Shot received a grant of $102,060.
That money, says Balwaria, will keep the line operational that runs from Dawson Creek and Fort St. John, B.C. to Grande Prairie (located 450 kilometres northwest of Edmonton). That grant, says Balwaria, means that he can run that route for one year without going broke doing so.
“The Alberta government cares a lot about rural Alberta so it’s very strange to me that the importance of connecting communities in rural Alberta is not front and centre for the government,” said Balwaria.
On March 30, the B.C. government put out a press release announcing that 20 inter-city bus operators and 55 regional airports were approved to receive $6.2 million worth of funding to help them stay open and provide essential transportation services to British Columbians.
“Our government is working to keep vital services operating during this unprecedented time, and this funding will help British Columbians — especially those in rural areas of the province — have a safe and reliable way to travel to essential appointments,” said Rob Fleming, B.C.’s minister of transportation and infrastructure at the time.
The news release shows that Cold Shot received a grant of $102,060.
That money, says Balwaria, will keep the line operational that runs from Dawson Creek and Fort St. John, B.C. to Grande Prairie (located 450 kilometres northwest of Edmonton). That grant, says Balwaria, means that he can run that route for one year without going broke doing so.
“The Alberta government cares a lot about rural Alberta so it’s very strange to me that the importance of connecting communities in rural Alberta is not front and centre for the government,” said Balwaria.
© Ian Kucerak/Postmedia A Cold Shot Bus is seen at the company’s depot at 11204 119 Street in Edmonton, on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2019.
Besides being a “bread and butter” issue for Balwaria and his 84 full-time and 30 part-time staff, this is an issue of regional development for northern Alberta, says the Edmonton entrepreneur.
He adds that whenever there has been news about his company’s struggles, rural Albertans who rely on his service phone him in a panic at the prospect of Cold Shot shutting down.
“I’ve had people call me in tears,” he says. “We are a lifeline for them.”
Balwaria says his company has made repeated requests to the provincial government for assistance, including seeking a portion of the federal government’s $70 million recovery plan funding for transportation provided to Alberta in 2020. While the province matched that amount, all of the money was directed to public municipal transit services within major municipalities that also suffered as a result of COVID.
Alberta’s Minister of Transportation, Rajan Sawhney, was not available for an interview Monday but said in a written statement, “Alberta Transportation does not provide direct operational subsidies to private bus services.
“However, Alberta’s government is willing to work with companies to apply for applicable federal and provincial relief programs that would help keep buses on the road. I have directed my department to reach out to Cold Shot to help them navigate through the suite of supports available to businesses.”
In a letter sent to Balwaria in May, former Alberta Transportation Minister Ric McIver said Balwaria should apply to the federal government’s Canada Emergency Rent subsidy and the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, as well as to the fed’s $250-million program for rural transit as part of Budget 2021.
“We would have shut down last December if it wasn’t for almost $1 million in loans from Western Economic Diversification Canada,” said Balwaria. “Overall, we’ve incurred $3.1 million debt to continue serving rural Alberta during the pandemic.”
B.C.’s government appreciates Balwaria and Cold Shot. Alberta’s government tells an Albertan to call the feds and that its policy doesn’t apply to private bus lines.
The Alberta government is once again proving to be tone-deaf and out of step with Albertans throughout this pandemic. This is just the latest example.
“We’re running on fumes right now,” said Balwaria.
That’s more than the UCP government’s running on right now.
Licia Corbella is a Postmedia columnist in Calgary.
lcorbella@postmedia.com
Twitter: @LiciaCorbella
Besides being a “bread and butter” issue for Balwaria and his 84 full-time and 30 part-time staff, this is an issue of regional development for northern Alberta, says the Edmonton entrepreneur.
He adds that whenever there has been news about his company’s struggles, rural Albertans who rely on his service phone him in a panic at the prospect of Cold Shot shutting down.
“I’ve had people call me in tears,” he says. “We are a lifeline for them.”
Balwaria says his company has made repeated requests to the provincial government for assistance, including seeking a portion of the federal government’s $70 million recovery plan funding for transportation provided to Alberta in 2020. While the province matched that amount, all of the money was directed to public municipal transit services within major municipalities that also suffered as a result of COVID.
Alberta’s Minister of Transportation, Rajan Sawhney, was not available for an interview Monday but said in a written statement, “Alberta Transportation does not provide direct operational subsidies to private bus services.
“However, Alberta’s government is willing to work with companies to apply for applicable federal and provincial relief programs that would help keep buses on the road. I have directed my department to reach out to Cold Shot to help them navigate through the suite of supports available to businesses.”
In a letter sent to Balwaria in May, former Alberta Transportation Minister Ric McIver said Balwaria should apply to the federal government’s Canada Emergency Rent subsidy and the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, as well as to the fed’s $250-million program for rural transit as part of Budget 2021.
“We would have shut down last December if it wasn’t for almost $1 million in loans from Western Economic Diversification Canada,” said Balwaria. “Overall, we’ve incurred $3.1 million debt to continue serving rural Alberta during the pandemic.”
B.C.’s government appreciates Balwaria and Cold Shot. Alberta’s government tells an Albertan to call the feds and that its policy doesn’t apply to private bus lines.
The Alberta government is once again proving to be tone-deaf and out of step with Albertans throughout this pandemic. This is just the latest example.
“We’re running on fumes right now,” said Balwaria.
That’s more than the UCP government’s running on right now.
Licia Corbella is a Postmedia columnist in Calgary.
lcorbella@postmedia.com
Twitter: @LiciaCorbella
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