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Ontario Northland/Northern Ontario Transportation

Why is it the last train? Isn't the PBE an essential service? It's not like there are any roads up there...
 

That looked the passenger train lashed up to a freight (maybe they were scheduled s/b around the same time). They announced that the passenger was suspended but the freights were still running.

The passenger train was suspended with the agreement of the communities it serves.

 
So when is the next announcement, that Ontario Northland Transportation Commission will be a division of Metrolinx?
 
So when is the next announcement, that Ontario Northland Transportation Commission will be a division of Metrolinx?

It might be now. They didn't mention which ABC (agency, board, or commission) of the MTO it was under. The obvious placement is alongside GO and UPX, with some ability to use the same staff for route/timetable planning, staff management, procurement, maintenance, etc. Metrolinx doesn't like dealing with trains but they have considerable first-hand bus experience.

MTO prior to this had Metrolinx and Highway Transport Board as their ABCs IIRC.
 
No mention on either of the ministries, Metrolinx ONTC websites, nor is it posted on Orders-in-Council website. I imagine things are running a little slowly right now.
 
Something they should have done decades ago! Maybe now there might be a real possibility of the return of the Northlander.

Some kind of report based on prior Newstalk reports might be done. The question is whether it'll be released, and if the PCs feel like spending the cash given the fiscal circumstances. Although given the huge deficit that's about to happen, this would look pretty small.
 
I finally found it posted in the Ontario Gazette Volume 153, Issue 16 as Order-in-Council 577/2020


No mention of restructuring - just a transfer of administrative responsibility. I'm not sure but I would think that any actual restructuring of board responsibilities, etc. would require legislation which require a sitting legislature. A number of similarities but a number of differences in operations. Probably low on this list right now.
 
Ontario Fills Critical Transportation Gap in the Northwest
New bus routes connect communities to essential services in Thunder Bay and Winnipeg
May 14, 2020 10:30 A.M.
Ministry of Transportation
TORONTO - The Ontario government is introducing new bus routes that will connect passengers to jobs, hospitals and other essential services in the Northwest with the launch of two new intercommunity bus services.

Starting May 17, 2020, the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission (ONTC) will begin permanent intercommunity bus service from White River to Thunder Bay with three return trips per week. The agency will also provide new permanent intercommunity bus service from Thunder Bay to Winnipeg, starting May 18, 2020, with two return trips per week.

"People in Northern Ontario deserve access to safe and reliable public transportation that connects them to employment opportunities, medical appointments and other essential services," said Caroline Mulroney, Minister of Transportation. "Our government is working closely with the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission to fill the recent gap in the Northwest."

The expanded bus service to Winnipeg from Thunder Bay will travel along Highway 17 via Dryden and Kenora and provide stops at Health Sciences Centre Winnipeg and the University of Winnipeg.

"For too long Northwestern Ontario has been excluded from Ontario's passenger transportation network and today our government is keeping its promise to bring reliable and safe bus transportation to the Northwest," said Greg Rickford, MPP for Kenora-Rainy River. "I am proud to see the ONTC connect people and communities from Thunder Bay to Winnipeg and everywhere in between."

"Ontario Northland is proud to be expanding our bus service across northwestern Ontario, with stops in Thunder Bay, Dryden, Kenora and Winnipeg," says Corina Moore, ONTC President and CEO. "This route extends the integrated transportation system that is growing throughout the province to provide passengers with more convenient connections and direct stops at hospitals, post-secondary education institutions and other transportation providers."

Quick Facts
  • The Ontario Northland Transportation Commission is an agency of the Government of Ontario that provides efficient and vital transportation services to Northern Ontario.
  • On April 1, 2020, oversight of the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission (ONTC) was transferred from the Minister of Energy, Northern Development and Mines (MENDM) to the Minister of Transportation (MTO) to centralize oversight of government agencies that deliver public transportation to create opportunities to improve services.
 
2 trips a week? Well, better than nothing.

Kasper had 6-day/week service, but it required a change at Sioux Lookout. Kasper also served Fort Frances, Atikokan, and Sioux Lookout, which are not on Northland's limited service.

It's too bad a service/subsidy agreement couldn't be worked out to allow Kasper to continue to operate the secondary routes and connect with Northland.
 

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