One Ontario City Ended All Public Transit in Response to COVID19

Imagine that Mayor John Tory decided that, after declaring a COVID19 emergency in the City of Toronto, he was cancelling all transit services. He did so despite objections from many city councillors and the Medical Officer of Health. How long do you think it would take before Premier Doug Ford declared TTC an essential service?

Windsor Transit provides public transportation to a population of 400,000 persons in Windsor, LaSalle, and the Town of Leamington in Essex County. All their buses are accessible and capable of taking wheelchairs, and bicycles. It is a popular mode of transit among low income residents, seniors, and the disabled.

Mayor Drew Dilkens decided, unilaterally, to cease all Windsor Transit services on March 30. He did so without consultation with the Medical Officer of Health, who later voiced opposition to the action. Windsor MPPs Lisa Gretzky and Percy Hatfield both met with the Mayor, but were unsuccessful in changing his mind. No other transportation arrangements were made for the most vulnerable in our county. He did not acknowledge my correspondence to him. Windsor in the only Canadian City to stop all transit services.

Windsor-Essex County is a COVID19 hotspot. We have the most patients in ICU and hospital outside of the GTA (>10% of Ontario’s coronovirus patients). A field hospital has been established at a local college with at least 28 COVID positive patients. Healthcare workers, especially personal support workers have relied on transit. A number must take cabs to work, paid for by their employers for now. How do low income individuals obtain groceries, visit pharmacies, or their doctors? They cannot afford taxis or Ubers (and over half have stopped working). Adding to the insult for the most vulnerable, Premier Ford is clawing back ODSP and OW payments for those receiving the CERB benefit.

Numerous residents, including myself, have reached out to Doug Ford’s office and numerous Ministers, by phone and email. Only the Deputy Minister for Seniors and Accessibility has returned my call. Caroline Mulroney is preparing an email reply. There is no resumption date for Windsor Transit. Lisa Gretzky MPP Windsor-West has created a Legislative Assembly Petition to declare Transit Services as essential during the pandemic. The fact that is necessary is absolutely ridiculous. Seniors and the disabled are second class citizens in Ontario. Long term care home outbreaks of COVID19 is one sign of this systemic problem.

Mr. Premier, please fix this problem, like the impacted residents were Torontonians.

If you like, please contact the office of the Premier Ford:

Premier@ontario.ca, 1- 416–325–1941