KAMLOOPS THIS WEEK WEDNESDAY
LOCAL NEWS
30 CENTS
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JULY 11, 2018 | Volume 31 No. 55
TODAY’S WEATHER
The heat returns High 31 C Low 17 C
BEHIND THE BENCH
HOW WILL YOU VOTE?
Kamloops Blazers hire Dan Kordic as an assistant coach
Five city councillors are urging you to vote for proportional representation
SPORTS/A22
NEWS/A5
GREYHOUND LEAVING KAMLOOPS, THE WEST DALE BASS STAFF REPORTER dale@kamloopsthisweek.com
cOAcH ✹ D&G ✹ BEBE
Provinces to discuss issue on Thursday Transportation Minister Claire Trevena and her counterparts in other Western provinces will talk on Thursday about what to do as a result of Greyhound reducing its service in Canada to a few routes in Ontario and Quebec. Trevena said her ministry is also talking to other bus companies in B.C. to determine what interest there is — and what capacity exists — to fill the gap that will result from the Oct. 31 shutdown of all Greyhound routes in Western Canada, aside from one run between Vancouver and Seattle. Read the full story online at kamloops thisweek.com.
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JESSICA WALLACE/KTW Phillip Cote and four-year-old son Ash Sukerov rely on Greyhound every three months to reunite. Cote has shared custody with his former partner, who lives in Kamloops. Turn to page A4 to hear how Greyhound’s decision to shut down routes will affect him and other customers.
John Ranta drove a Greyhound bus for 35 years — and he’s not surprised the company has announced it is leaving every province except Ontario and Quebec. The mayor of Cache Creek and chair of the Thompson-Nicola Regional District said when the routes are shut down on Oct. 31, he won’t be surprised to see other entrepreneurs step up to fill the void, an expectation Kamloops Mayor Ken Christian shares. The company announced on Monday that it is ending its passenger bus and freight services in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba and cancelling all but one route in B.C. — a U.S.-run service between Vancouver and Seattle. Christian said while smaller communities in the Prairies, northern B.C. and perhaps the Kootenays may suffer from Greyhound’s decision, Kamloops is well located as a hub from where new carriers might create businesses going to Merritt or into the Okanagan. Christian said he is disappointed for the Greyhound employees in Kamloops whose jobs will end in about three months. “In the long run, Greyhound’s heart wasn’t in it and this could make way for new carriers to start up,” he said. Ranta said one aspect of Greyhound’s business that has been
impacted by new companies is in moving freight. He said the company failed to keep up with changing technology, “putting little pieces of paper in the hands of drivers” rather than developing an efficient online tracking system. “I could see it happening,” he said of his time with Greyhound before retiring in 2007. “And they didn’t do anything.” He said he was concerned about the viability of the company when he retired, opting to cash out his pension plan rather than leaving it with Greyhound. Ranta also put some blame on communities that have let other businesses and organizations enter the people-moving business, ranging from buses taking people to health clinics in other cities to ride-sharing programs. Last December, when Greyhound applied to the province’s passenger transportation board for route reductions approval, it said it had lost $70 million in the previous six years and ridership had dropped by 46 per cent in B.C. The company said routes are expensive to operate and it was being impacted by competition for passengers from ride-share programs, airlines, personal vehicles and government-funded bus and rail lines. Greyhound Canada senior vice-president Stuart Kendrick told the Canadian Press the decision to shut down service “is regretful and we sympathize with the fact that many small towns are going to lose service. See PASSENGER, A4