A transportation lobby group is challenging the provincial and federal Liberal governments to correct rail transportation issues facing Northern Ontario. Eric Boutilier, a spokesman for the Northern and Eastern Rail Network, wants senior government to “find the courage” to bring back rail. Boutilier says the Ontario Liberals cut the Northlander, the region’s only daily train service, and replaced it with an enhanced bus service, something he says that has not worked out well. On the federal side, the former Conservative government reduced the winter frequency of Via Rail from three days to two days a week. Boutilier says while the north sees cuts, Southern Ontario continues to see billions poured into public transportation. Boutilier says people in Southern Ontario are entitled to have safe and reliable travel, but so does the north. He says it’s not fair to force northerners to drive long distances on dangerous highways or to have them wait for public transportation that may or may not show up. “This is a blatant double standard” Boutilier said. “It’s unfair to our seniors, students, patients and their families.” To emphasize the point even more that the north gets the short end of the stick, Boutilier compiled transportation costs. He says the cost to pay for GO Transit is $155.62 from every man, woman and child in Ontario. The cost per person to pay for the Polar Bear Express is only $1.47 and before it was axed, the Northlander was given 86 cents per resident.
Boutilier says there’s a growing concern in the north to improve public transportation and so far about 75 percent of municipal councils in the north, including those in Muskoka, have passed resolutions asking for the Northlander to be reinstated.
Boutilier is grateful that Nipissing-Timiskaming MP Anthony Rota supports a resolution from the Latchford town council to restore the north’s train service. He’s also thanking federal New Democrats for raising passenger rail service in the House of Commons and for meetings with Tory and NDP MPPs. Boutilier makes a point of saying that so far repeated attempts to meet with Ontario’s transportation minister, Stephen Del Duca, and energy minister Glenn Thibeault have all failed. But he’s hopeful that at some point his group will get to meet with both ministers and tell them the kind of transportation challenges the north faces.