As presented by Councillor Brabant:
WHEREAS Villa St. Gabriel Villa (VSGV) is a long-term care home with 128 residents, which was previously serviced in 2015 with a fixed route service level of three times per day/seven days per week, through a Council approved one year pilot project funded by Provincial Gas Tax, which was discontinued in September of 2016 due to low ridership, and replaced with more cost-effective transit service through GOVA Zone; ;
AND WHEREAS the circumstances have changed over the course of the pandemic, as an increasing number of staff and visitors rely on transit service due to driving being unaffordable or not possible for many;
AND WHEREAS staff and visitors of VSGV currently have a ten-minute walk from the closest drop-off at the Bonaventure Mall, on the side of the road with no sidewalks, which is particularly precarious during the winter months;
AND WHEREAS the GOVA Zone service from the Mall to VSGV, has been challenging for many in the past;
AND WHEREAS a recent survey of VSGV staff conducted by their administration indicated that:
• To access VSGV, 46 team members take the bus five or more times weekly.
• An additional 16 use transit to access work three to four times a week.
• 85% of all surveyed (96 respondents) would take the bus if VSGV had an on-site stop.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that staff be directed to present a business case for Council’s consideration during the upcoming 2025 Budget deliberations for the addition of transit service hours to fixed Route 104 Azilda/Chelmsford at the Villa St. Gabriel Villa.