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NEEF FUNDING P. 3 EDITORIAL P. 6
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ARENA UPGRADES P. 5 CUSTOMER APPRECIATION P. 12-15
E xpress OMINECA
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Serving Vanderhoof ● Fort Fraser ● Fraser Lake & Area www.ominecaexpress.com
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Bus services on the brink
The battle for earth
Greyhound proposes route reductions to shore up $14.1-million losses
Tom Fletcher, Ruth Lloyd and Cameron Ginn Omineca Express
The Vanderhoof PeeWee Vikings left the field victorious over the Prince George White Warriors on Saturday, Oct. 13, winning 30-0. Viking Kostas Bach, #4, wrestles the ball out of the hands of Warrior Braden Reed, #74, to regain possession. Photo by Dennis Parfitt
Council approves permit with caution Cameron Ginn Omineca Express Town council approved a development variance permit application with conditions on Tuesday, Oct. 9, minding safety risks and the setting of precedents. At least five homeowners attended the council meeting to lobby against the application, a Vanderhoof-based construction company's proposal to build five homes on five compact lots at the corner
of Fifth and Riley Streets in Vanderhoof. If constructed, the five dwellings would appear crowded and unsightly in comparison with the rest of the neighborhood, which largely consists of single-family homes built on larger lots, the homeowners said. "Does that come into your way of thinking?" Janet Smith, a homeowner who lives near the lots, asked council. "I think all levels of thought come into our way of thinking about just how something is going to fit into the neigh-
bourhood," said Councillor Ken Young, then acting in the place of Mayor Gerry Thiessen. Thiessen, a real estate agent, sold the developer the five lots and could not be present during discussions about the agenda item. Later in the evening, the homeowners said they weren't lobbying against development, but rather the aesthetics of the proposed project. Continued on page 2
Facing multi-million dollar losses and a significant decline in ridership, Greyhound Canada is proposing to drastically reduce bus services in Vanderhoof and across the province. Factors such as higher fuel costs, unsustainable passenger losses and competition from government-subsidized transportation agencies are responsible for the proposed service cuts, says Greyhound. So too are provincial regulations set by the Passenger Transportation Board. In order to operate in B.C., Greyhound must run a minimum number of bus trips on different corridors each week regardless of passenger demand, as required by the board. But having lost $14.1 million on its B.C. passenger operations in the last fiscal year, Greyhound has filed an application with the board to reduce the minimum service frequency even further, which would enable the company to generate savings of approximately $6.75 million each year. Along the Prince George-Fort St. James corridor, where the average passenger load on a 54seat coach is between five and seven people per trip, Greyhound has proposed to reduce services to one day per week in each direction. “The facts are there,” said Stuart Kendrick, senior vice president of Greyhound Canada. “We just hope that the board will recognize the importance of Greyhound’s future in B.C.” In considering Greyhound’s route-reduction proposal, the board will assess the public’s need for the service, the potential economic effects of reducing the service and whether or not the applicant is able to sufficiently provide the service. Transportation Minister Mary Polak said she is aware that Greyhound operations in B.C. are at risk and that ministry staff are working on options. Continued on page 2
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10/12/12 11:34 AM