Imagine getting stuck with a bill for $851.79. That’s what some St. Clair College families are dealing with and they are not happy about it. “They’re saying ‘too bad. I’m sorry about that. You didn’t opt out on time.’ There’s absolutely zero appeal process. Good luck,” said Kim Timpson. She is nothing short of frustrated. Her son is a first-year student at St. Clair College and did not meet a deadline to opt out of paying for a bus pass he doesn’t need. “Their own criteria is that you can opt out if you live outside of City of Windsor limits or if you have purchased a parking pass. Both of those things apply to my son,” Timpson said. Timpson explained that through a deal with Transit Windsor, the college allows 40 percent of students to opt out by a certain date. That percentage could be hit long before the deadline. In Timpson’s case, her son didn’t make the cut leaving the family holding the bill. She feels the deal her family and others walked into is not fair. “Do you need a bus pass? And opting-in seems to make more sense to me, and many others that I’ve spoken with, as opposed to opting out and being charged for it,” Timpson said. She and others would like more flexibility. The college tried to reach as many students as they could. “We do email students every year, two to three times per month in the month of September. We had lawn signs out. We had social media posts, you name it. We tried to get in front of students as quickly as possible to ensure they’re aware of the opt out percentage and procedure,” said Ryan Peebles, Executive Director of the Student Representative Council (SRC). The partnership started as a three-year pilot in 2022 that saw students pay $296 during the first year. When renewed in 2025 for three more years, Transit Windsor came back with $845, a discounted negotiated rate reflecting the value of the service. Peebles says the college does get two per cent back from the city and re-invests that into more opt out opportunities bringing the number to higher than 40 per cent. “We don’t know that until we hit our mid-year review to see what kind of money we’re working with and if we can refund additional funds there,” said Peebles, who says the college does not keep any of the money. The college understands some students do not like the pass. Some first-year students we spoke with didn’t know about the fee. The deal will be revisited in late 2027 and Peebles says they’ll be looking for a better solution. “Personally, I think the gripe is that the funding of transit is so lack and luster and the city is willing to allow the students of the University of Windsor and St. Clair to pick up the slack there.” Peebles said. Transit Windsor says the SRC is offered deep discounts and will look to see what opportunities exist to continue the long-lasting partnership in the next deal.
