Burns Lake and Vanderhoof were the last two communities within the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako (RDBN) to sign bylaws supporting the Hwy. 16 transportation action plan.
The proposed plan is designed to alleviate hitch-hiking along the highway corridor by providing an affordable bus service.
Burns Lake Mayor Chris Beach said he was pleased that the Village of Burns Lake has decided to fully participate in the new transit service.
“First and foremost, this service will take a step forward in addressing the Highway of Tears tragedy that has affected our own community and many others in the north,” said Beach.
“If we are going to succeed as a viable, healthy community in the future, we are increasingly going to have to work together to find success and efficiencies in improving the quality of life for all our residents,” he continued. “This new transit bus service will enable people to travel east or west, to Prince George or Smithers and back to Burns Lake, several days a week for a very low cost.”
Beach added that this jointly-funded partnership between municipalities, regional government and First Nations groups marks “a new level of cooperation.”
During a council meeting on Jan. 25, 2017, Burns Lake councillors said there were still unanswered questions about the bus service and that they needed more information before signing the bylaw. Since then, the province has committed to two additional years of funding for operational costs and another $60,000 a year for three years to hire a regional service coordinator.
The Village of Burns Lake has committed to a maximum contribution of $12,500.
The City of Prince George, which had only committed to one year of funding, has now committed to contribute $50,000 per year for five years.
Now that municipalities have signed their own bylaws supporting the plan, the regional district is expected to adopt the regional transit service bylaw on March 2, 2017. However, this will depend on whether the regional district receives the provincial government’s approval, which is required before the bylaw can go back before the RDBN board.
It is still unclear when the buses will start running along Hwy. 16. The new bus service was originally expected to start operating by December 2016. B.C. Transit did not respond to Lakes District News by press time.
