Province pulls funding for low-income transit passes in Calgary, Edmonton

Province cuts funding for low-income transit The municipal government is looking into how they can continue to support a low-income transit program after the province cut its funding. Mason DePatie reports.

Update: the Government of Alberta has reversed its decision and will continue to fund low-income transit pass programs in Calgary and Edmonton.

A program providing low-income Calgarians and Edmontonians a financial break on their monthly transit passes is losing millions of dollars in annual support from the provincial government, city councillors confirmed Tuesday.

The provincial contribution included $4.5 million annually for the program in Calgary.

An additional $1.7-million boost to support a yearly pass for low-income seniors was announced in 2023.

The province is pulling the entire $6.2-million pot from Calgary.

Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek issued a statement on Tuesday afternoon, saying she is "appalled" the province would choose to slash funding for the pass "in the midst of an affordability crisis."

"Calgary's Low-Income Transit Pass enables Calgarians to travel around the city to attend medical appointments, work and school. At more than 119,000 passes issued through March of this year, this is a much-needed and well-used program that provides transit access to Calgarians living below the poverty line," Gondek said.

"The need for this program is growing, with the number of passes sold increasing by 35 per cent over last year.

"It is an insult to the lowest-income Calgarians who are already struggling to get by. This provincial government continues to burden big cities by walking away from their commitments. Rather than spend $6.2 million to help low-income Calgarians and seniors get around now, this provincial government would rather spend more time dreaming about private-public partnerships for trains decades from now."

The Low-Income Transit Pass (LITP) program was launched in Calgary in 2005 and has been funded in part by the Alberta government since 2017.

It establishes a sliding scale for people to receive discounted monthly transit passes based on income.

"We're talking about affordability and we're talking about the struggles our seniors are having — whether it be from food or housing or other. The last thing we want to do is nickel-and-dime our municipal governments," said Terry Wong, councillor for Ward 7 in Calgary.

"We need to find a way to either ask them for a continuance in the program or find another way to fund it."

The program has been well-used in Edmonton, too.

"At a time when Edmontonians are struggling to afford their basic needs and demand for this program has increased 150 per cent since 2016, the decision to defund this program in Edmonton and Calgary shows that the province's priorities are in the wrong place," a statement from Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi read.

"The City of Edmonton is already facing financial pressures due to provincial downloading, and this additional reduction in funding is unfortunate."

In Calgary, the LITP program provides monthly passes for a cost of between $5.80 and $57.50, depending on income.

It's a discount of at least 50 per cent per month.

When asked why the Alberta government was pulling the $6.2 million from Calgary, a provincial spokesperson did not answer the question.

The spokesperson for the minister of seniors, community and social services instead pointed to other transit programs the Alberta government supports.

"Alberta's government is investing $5 million to support transportation programs for low-income Albertans in rural communities where transportation options are limited," the statement reads in part.

"Alberta's government also provides over $3.5 million to low-income Albertans on social benefits to support them getting transportation across the province, including in Edmonton and Calgary.

"As transit is a municipal responsibility in the two big cities, we are investing more in core services delivered by the province like homelessness and housing."

At city hall later on Tuesday, Calgary's councillors all voted in favour of an attempt to recoup the $6.2-million funding loss by requesting that the Alberta government decrease its property tax requisition for the year by that amount.