DRAFT TECHNICAL BACKGROUNDER Northern Ontario Multimodal Transportation Strategy
Intercommunity Passenger Transportation
Prepared for the Ontario Ministry of Transportation and Ministry of Northern Development and Mines
Consulting Team: IBI Group | Hemson Consulting Ltd. November 2016 IBI GROUP DRAFT TECHNICAL BACKGROUNDER: INTERCOMMUNITY PASSENGER TRANSPORTATION Prepared for the Ontario Ministry of Transportation and Ministry of Northern Development and Mines
This draft technical backgrounder was prepared for the Ontario Ministry of Transportation and Ministry of Northern Development and Mines by the consultant team to assist the ministries in developing the Northern Ontario Multimodal Transportation Strategy. The opinions and ideas in this backgrounder are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the positions of the ministries or of the Government of Ontario.
Cette publication hautement spécialisée Intercommunity Passenger Transportation Technical Backgrounder n'est disponible qu'en anglais conformément au Règlement 671/92, selon lequel il n’est pas obligatoire de la traduire en vertu de la Loi sur les services en français. Pour obtenir des renseignements en français, veuillez communiquer avec le Ministère des Transports au 1-844-505-5006 ou par courriel à [email protected].
November 2016 IBI GROUP DRAFT TECHNICAL BACKGROUNDER: INTERCOMMUNITY PASSENGER TRANSPORTATION Prepared for the Ontario Ministry of Transportation and Ministry of Northern Development and Mines
Table of Contents
1 Overview ...... 5
2 Jurisdiction, Policies and Programs...... 12 2.1 Passenger Rail ...... 12 VIA Rail ...... 12 Ontario Northland Transportation Commission ...... 12 Agawa Canyon Excursion Train ...... 12 2.2 Intercommunity Bus ...... 13 Provincial Role ...... 13 2.3 Community Transportation Services ...... 15 Provincial Community Transportation Pilot Grant Program ...... 16 2.4 Climate Change Considerations ...... 17
3 Potential Intercommunity Passenger Transportation Ridership Markets ...... 20 3.1 Passenger Vehicle Traffic ...... 20 3.2 Travel Grant Origins and Destinations ...... 24 3.3 Locations of Common Intercommunity Transportation Destinations ...... 29
4 Rail Passenger Services ...... 31 4.1 Current Service Provision and Ridership ...... 31 The VIA Transcontinental Train (“The Canadian”) ...... 31 The “Northern Ontario” VIA Train ...... 32 The Polar Bear Express ...... 32 4.2 Recent Rail Service Changes and Discontinuances ...... 32 VIA Rail ...... 32 Ontario Northland Services ...... 35 Algoma Central Rail Services ...... 35 4.3 Past Trends in Passenger Rail Ridership ...... 36
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Table of Contents (continued)
5 Intercommunity Bus Services ...... 38 5.1 Scheduled Intercommunity Bus Operators and Services ...... 38 Inter-Regional Operators ...... 39 Regional Operators ...... 40 Fares 41 5.2 Recent Scheduled Service Reductions and Discontinuances ...... 42 5.3 Ridership on Scheduled Services ...... 45 Travel Purposes ...... 45 5.4 Bus Stops and Terminals ...... 46 5.5 Vehicle Types ...... 46 5.6 Charter Bus Services ...... 47
6 Community Transportation Services ...... 48 6.1 Sample Community-Based Services ...... 48 6.2 Issues and Challenges ...... 50
7 Outlooks for Intercommunity Passenger Transportation in Northern Ontario...... 51 7.1 Population Forecasts ...... 51 7.2 Passenger Rail ...... 51 7.3 Intercommunity Bus ...... 52 7.4 Community Services ...... 53
8 Issues and Opportunities ...... 54 8.1 Intercommunity Passenger Transportation — General ...... 54 8.2 Rail Passenger Services ...... 55 Issues ...... 55 Opportunities ...... 56 8.3 Intercommunity Bus ...... 57 Issues ...... 57 Opportunities ...... 60 8.4 Community Transportation Services ...... 61 Issues ...... 61 Opportunities ...... 62
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Table of Contents (continued)
References ...... 63
Alternate Text for Exhibits ...... 64
Appendix A: List of Community Transportation Services ...... 1
Northwestern Ontario ...... 1
Northeastern Ontario ...... 3
List of Exhibits
Exhibit 1.1: Passenger Rail Services in Northern Ontario ...... 7 Exhibit 1.2: Scheduled Intercommunity Bus Services in Northern Ontario 8 Exhibit 1.3: Summary of Scheduled Commercial Intercommunity Bus Service Characteristics in Northern Ontario ...... 9 Exhibit 1.4: Scheduled Air Passenger Services in Northern Ontario ...... 11
Exhibit 2.1: Indicative Comparison of Energy Use per Passenger- Kilometre by Travel Mode ...... 18 Exhibit 2.2: Indicative Comparison of Carbon Dioxide-Equivalent Emissions per Passenger-Kilometre by Travel Mode ...... 18
Exhibit 3.1: Flows of Passenger Vehicles using the Northern Ontario Highway Network, 2011 and 2041 ...... 22 Exhibit 3.2: Travel Grant Recipient Home Community/Municipality Locations, March 2014 to April 2015 ...... 25 Exhibit 3.3: Travel Grant Recipient Service Locations, March 2014 to April 2015 ...... 26 Exhibit 3.4: Northern Ontario Travel Grant Service Locations by Recipient Home Location, March 2014 to April 2015 ...... 27 Exhibit 3.5: Percentages of Northern Ontario Travel Grant Recipients by Service Location: March 2014 to April 2015...... 28 Exhibit 3.6: Bus and Taxi Connections to Post-Secondary Institutions and Health Care Services ...... 30
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Table of Contents (continued)
Exhibit 4.1: VIA Rail Boardings by Station for “The Canadian” Transcontinental Line by Destination Zone, 2015 ...... 33 Exhibit 4.2: VIA Rail Boardings by Station for “Northern Ontario” Line, 2015 ...... 34 Exhibit 4.3: VIA “The Canadian” Trips to/from Northern Ontario, 2009 – 2015 ...... 37 Exhibit 4.4: VIA "Northern Ontario" Boardings, 2009 – 2015 ...... 37
Exhibit 5.1: Adult Fare Comparison for Selected Origin-Destination Pairs by Mode ...... 41 Exhibit 5.2: Northern Ontario Bus Service Levels, 2000 and 2016 ...... 43 Exhibit 5.3: Recent Scheduled Intercommunity Bus Service Reductions and Discontinuances ...... 44 Exhibit 5.4: Traditional Full-Size Coach Example: Ontario Northland ...... 47
Exhibit 8.1: Communities by Select Highway Corridor without Scheduled Intercommunity Bus Service ...... 59
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1 Overview
In Northern Ontario, as in other jurisdictions, a viable network of intercommunity passenger transportation options is an essential piece of the multimodal system. It is, in fact, vital to the wellbeing of many individuals. Many residents in communities of all sizes are dependent upon such transportation to access essential social services (primarily health and education) and activities located in larger centres. Intercommunity passenger transportation also provides an option that is potentially safer, more convenient, more economical, and more environmentally sustainable than driving a personal vehicle between communities. However, providing intercommunity transportation in Northern Ontario is especially challenging, given the long distances, severe weather conditions, low population densities and the need for enhanced coordination among providers. The purpose of this backgrounder is to describe intercommunity ground passenger services that are available in Northern Ontario, including existing conditions and historic trends, outlooks, issues and opportunities. The term “intercommunity” is used to mean travel between cities, municipalities, or settlements of varying sizes. Intercommunity passenger transportation in Northern Ontario includes four primary types: Rail passenger services: These rail transportation services areprovided to the public for travel along a rail line between rail stations for a fare. A map of Northern Ontario rail passenger services indicating service frequencies is shown in Exhibit 1.1. Commercial intercommunity bus services: These are public services provided by commercial carriers along a defined route on highways and other roads between cities and communities for a fare. A map of Northern Ontario bus passenger services is shown in Exhibit 1.2, and key bus service characteristics are summarized in Exhibit 1.3. Community transportation services: These are transportation services that are often provided on a smaller scale (e.g. by van) and cover shorter distances than commercial intercommunity bus services, and often rely on volunteer staff. They are typically not fully public, but targeted to a certain market, such as health-care trips, seniors or Indigenous groups. A listing of over 150 services of this type in Northern Ontario is provided in Appendix A.
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Scheduled air passenger travel: Where available, scheduled air passenger services between Northern Ontario’s 67 public national, municipal, and remote airports are in competition with available ground-based intercommunity passenger transportation. This is especially true as lower-cost carriers have expanded their services in Northern Ontario. Some communities have neither ground-based scheduled service nor scheduled air transportation services (e.g. Chapleau and Manitoulin); many communities with municipal airports have both ground and air transportation services, and some have only one or the other (e.g. Red Lake has scheduled air transportation, but no scheduled ground-based transportation). Scheduled passenger flights in Northern Ontario are shown in Exhibit 1.4 for context and for comparison to ground intercommunity transportation options. This technical backgrounder focusses on ground-based passenger services, as noted above. Air passenger services are described in detail in separate Municipal Airports and Remote Airports technical backgrounders. In addition to the above, a number of other small-scale services are used to transport individuals and groups between communities, including carpooling and taxis.
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Exhibit 1.1: Passenger Rail Services in Northern Ontario
Note: Sault Ste.-Marie Agawa Canyon service is offered seasonally as well. Services are current as of August 2016
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Exhibit 1.2: Scheduled Intercommunity Bus Services in Northern Ontario
Note: Schedules can change on a regular basis. Effective August 17, 2016, Caribou Coach temporarily suspended scheduled service between Thunder Bay and Longlac.
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Exhibit 1.3: Summary of Scheduled Commercial Intercommunity Bus Service Characteristics in Northern Ontario Approx. Frequency Adult Fare, per Service Full Trip Direction Route Operation Notes Fare Notes Greyhound Canada Sudbury-Winnipeg $240 1/day Hwy 17 Reservation-based system Senior, student and child fares Toronto-Sudbury $80 9/week Hwy 400, Hwy Two trips on Fri/Sun; no Discounts: advance-purchase, 69 local stops web, group rates Refundable fares Ottawa-Sudbury $80 1/day Hwy 17 Other adult fares: $250 Toronto-Winnipeg $250 Ottawa-Winnipeg Ontario Northland Toronto-North Bay $80 4/day Hwy 11 One express trip, extra Reservation-based system express trips on Fri/Sun Senior, student and child fares North Bay-Matheson $70 2/day Hwy 11 Discounts: advance-purchase, Matheson-Cochrane $20 1/day Hwy 11 group, military, family and Matheson-Timmins $15 3/day Hwy 101 medical rates Refundable fares $80 3/day Hwy 400, Hwy One express trip Toronto-Sudbury Other adult fares: 69 $140 Toronto-Timmins $60 1/day Hwy 144, Hwy Sudbury-Timmins $200 Toronto-Hearst 101 Timmins-Cochrane $20 2/day Hwy 655 No local stops Cochrane- $25 1/day Hwy 11 Kapuskasing Kapuskasing-Hearst $20 3/week Hwy 11 Mon/Wed/Fri Sudbury-North Bay $28 6/week Hwy 17 Mon/Thu/Fri/Sat/Sun North Bay-Sudbury $100 3/week Hwy 17 Thu/Fri/Sun Autobus Maheux North Bay-Rouyn- $65 1/day Hwy 63, QC 101 Fixed-price fares Noranda Discounts: return trips $130 Continued on next page.
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Exhibit 1.3: Summary of Scheduled Commercial Intercommunity Bus Service Characteristics in Northern Ontario (continued)
Approx. Frequency Adult Fare, per Service Full Trip Direction Route Operation Notes Fare Notes Caribou Coach Lines Thunder Bay-Fort $65 3/week Hwy 11 Tue/Fri/Sun Fixed-price fares Frances Senior, student and child fares Thunder Bay-Longlac $60 5/week Hwy 11 East: Discounts: advance-purchase, (“Temporarily Sun/Tue/Wed/Thu/Fri group, military, family and suspended” as of West: medical rates August 17, 2016) Mon/Wed/Thu/Fri/Sat Kasper Thunder Bay-Sioux $75 5/week Hwy 17, Hwy 72 Mon-Fri Fixed-price fares Lookout Discounts: return trips $130 Thunder Bay – $65 5/week Hwy 11 Mon-Fri Fixed-price fares Longlac A.J. Bus Lines (Public: contracted by the City of Elliot Lake) Elliot Lake-Hwy 17 $20 7/week Hwy 108 Mon-Thu, twice Friday, Fixed-price fares Sun Note: Schedules can change on a regular basis.
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Exhibit 1.4: Scheduled Air Passenger Services in Northern Ontario
Note: Services are current as of October 2016
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2 Jurisdiction, Policies and Programs
This section describes the governmental roles, policies and programs as they relate to intercommunity passenger transportation in Northern Ontario, by mode.
2.1 Passenger Rail
VIA Rail
Under the Canadian Constitution, interprovincial railways fall under federal jurisdiction. The major railways, including Canadian National (CN) and Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) hold federal charters. A federal corporation, VIA Rail Canada Inc., operates most passenger rail services across Canada and two services in Northern Ontario on CN and CP railways. VIA receives subsidies for operating rail passenger services through Transport Canada. It reports to the federal Minister of Transport. Transport Canada is responsible for safety standards, equipment inspection, and regulating railway operating practices. Through delegation of the provincial jurisdiction, even shortline railways operating under provincial charters licensed under the Ontario Shortline Railways Act are overseen by Transport Canada with respect to safety.
Ontario Northland Transportation Commission
The Ontario Northland Transportation Commission (ONTC, or Ontario Northland), a Crown agency of the Government of Ontario, operates a combined rail freight and passenger rail service under the ONTC Act, a provincial charter. This service is supported by the Ontario Government through the ONTC and the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines.
Agawa Canyon Excursion Train
An additional rail service is not shown on the map, as it operates only seasonally: the Agawa Canyon Tour Train, operated by CN on the CN rail line between Sault Ste. Marie and Hearst. The tour train runs from Sault Ste. Marie 183 km north to the Agawa Canyon and is a same-day, round-trip excursion to
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the canyon. (Year-round passenger services had been provided on this line as far north as Hearst until 2015, as will be discussed in Section 4.2.)
2.2 Intercommunity Bus
Provincial Role
ONTC also operates Ontario Northland motor coach services (or “Ontario Northland”), connecting a number of communities in Northeastern Ontario and providing connections to Southern Ontario.
With the exception of ONTC, intercommunity bus service in Northern Ontario is provided by private businesses and regulated by the Ontario and federal governments, as described below. Few governmental programs are directly applicable to the intercommunity bus mode. Currently, intercommunity bus services in Ontario are regulated through the Ontario Highway Transport Board (OHTB), whose mandate is defined in the Ontario Highway Transport Board Act, 1990, and which reports to the Minister of Transportation (MTO). The OHTB administers the economic regulatory regime for inter-municipal, for-hire operators of passenger transportation services, as prescribed in the Public Vehicles Act, 1990. The OHTB is responsible for licensing operators throughout the province as well as operators providing services that extend beyond Ontario to other provinces and the United States. The OHTB also oversees market entry control for scheduled and charter services. ONTC is exempt from the licensing requirements of the Public Vehicles Act (Metrolinx has a similar exemption for its services in Southern Ontario.
The OHTB controls operators entering the market through the granting of operating licences. A prospective bus operator may apply for an operating licence for a given route by filing an application with the OHTB, including a business plan for the service and public evidence supporting the entrant. After the application is submitted, it is published in the Ontario Gazette (the official Government of Ontario publication for public notices). If no objection is filed against the applicant, the OHTB reviews the application, completes a one-time insurance check and finally issues a public vehicle licence. Other parties with an economic interest in the outcome of the matter may file an objection within 29 days of publication in the Ontario Gazette. The applicant is given an opportunity to reply to the objection. A hearing may be held on filed objections, after which the Board may deny or grant the application, following an insurance check. The Board adjudicates matters and assesses applications based on public necessity
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and convenience criteria. The decision of the Board is final and binding; there is no appeal. Operators providing scheduled services are required to file a timetable with the OHTB detailing the number of trips per day including the departure and arrival times, as well as fares. Service reductions of more than 25% require a 30-day notice to both the Minister of Transportation and the public. Service discontinuation requires a 90-day notice period. Any subsequent changes to timetables and fare structures must also be filed with the Board. Fares and schedule changes are not regulated by the OHTB, thereby permitting operators to adjust fares and schedule timing without approval from the Board.
Intercommunity Bus Policy Proposal MTO is currently conducting a review of its intercommunity bus policy to appropriately regulate intercommunity bus transportation and modernize regulations to increase travel options and to improve the overall travelling experience on intercommunity buses in Ontario. The process has included several rounds of engagement with the public and industry stakeholders on the current state of intercommunity bus as well as potential needs and opportunities. Results to date are summarized in a discussion paper published in June 2016, Intercity Bus Modernization: Creating Opportunities and Connecting Ontario Communities. Community engagement sessions took place through the summer months in 2016 and separate engagement sessions with Indigenous partners are planned for October/November 2016. Input received through engagement with the intercommunity bus industry and communities will inform the development of recommendations for an improved intercommunity transportation regime expected in the fall.
Federal Role Federal regulations related to the intercommunity bus industry are primarily safety-related, with the Motor Vehicle Transport Act (MVTA) providing a framework for safety regulations based on the National Safety Code for Motor Carriers. Transport Canada has also issued an Intercity Bus Code of Practice. Operators have voluntarily committed to providing accessible service, and the standards of service are documented in the Code. The Code of Practice covers all routes by carriers offering scheduled services, but not charter carriers. It is important to note that this Code of Practice is not legally binding.
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The federal government is responsible for extra-provincial bus services. The federal government, through provisions in the MVTA, adopts the licensing regime in each individual province, to be applied “in like manner” to applications for bus services that go beyond a provincial boundary. For example, the Ontario portion of an application for a scheduled service between Kenora and Winnipeg would be considered based on Ontario’s regime, while the Manitoba portion would be considered based on Manitoba’s regime.
2.3 Community Transportation Services
As a result of the limited provision of scheduled rail and bus intercommunity passenger services in Northern Ontario, other means of mobility have been developed, as noted above, to provide transportation for people who cannot make the trip by private automobile for a variety of reasons. These services tend to be very targeted to certain clients, patients, or some other pre-defined, eligible person affiliated with a specific program or organization, including several dozen providing services for Indigenous populations. These are most notable in the non-urgent medical transport field where various services (and subsidies) are available. In addition to medical/health related access, many community transportation programs provide client or program participant transportation for a range of trip purposes, including social/ recreational, shopping, etc. There is a range of governance, administrative, operational and service delivery scenarios for these non-public transit transportation service providers. These include transportation operated by volunteer organizations such as the Red Cross and the Canadian Cancer Society, municipal transit/specialized transit services, school/student transport, hospitals/medical centre non-emergency transport, and services by First Nations or by Indigenous agencies. With the exception of school bus transport such as that provided by the Northwestern Ontario Student Services Consortium, no other community transportation services that accommodates education or school trips has been identified. Transportation funding for these services can include user fees/fares, subsidies from program budgets (typically general funds), and donations. In some cases, government aid is supplied, such as through the Community Care Access Centres (CCAC).
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Provincial Community Transportation Pilot Grant Program
In 2014, the Ministry of Transportation launched a two-year Community Transportation Pilot Grant Program. The objective of the Pilot is to improve transportation services for seniors, persons living with disabilities, youth and other residents who need transportation. Through the Pilot Program, up to $100,000 in financial assistance has been provided to Ontario municipalities and their partnering community organizations to leverage existing local transportation services by sharing resources and coordinating services. Of the twenty-two municipalities that have received funding under this program, seven projects are located in the NOMTS study area: Terrace Bay ($81,397) Atikokan ($91,586) Dryden ($100,000) Black River-Matheson ($30,500) Papineau-Cameron ($100,000) Temiskaming Shores ($40,000) White River ($81,650) The two-year pilot program allows funded municipalities flexibility in designing community transportation service and the area to be served. Eligible projects include providing transportation services within a single municipality/county/region, or between municipalities, such as those listed below. Some community transportation projects that are being implemented also include same-day intercommunity bus service (via bus or van), for example: Terrace Bay is providing services for residents in five communities between Jackfish and Pays Plat First Nation to travel along Highway 17 to Thunder Bay for medical appointments. Black River-Matheson is providing a new service using school buses to transport seniors from Black River-Matheson to Timmins and Iroquois Falls for medical appointments, shopping, and visiting friends and relatives. Papineau-Cameron has established a transportation program connecting eight municipalities in the Highway 17 corridor between Mattawa and North Bay, using a school bus operator and a centralized intake, booking, and scheduling process. The Pilot Program is scheduled to end on March 31, 2017, after which the Ministry of Transportation will evaluate the projects to determine the
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effectiveness of municipalities and partnering community organizations to work together to optimize existing resources and provide more travel options to more people, thereby improving service. At this time, the Ministry of Transportation will also review the key elements of the design and implementation of the program such as eligibility requirements and scope of projects (i.e., eligibility for First Nations, not-for-profit organizations, and others in unincorporated areas). The current two-year pilot program will be completed in the spring of 2017. A final report will include recommendations as to whether to continue the program. The pilot program involved partnerships with private sector bus companies.
2.4 Climate Change Considerations
Climate change, energy efficiency, and other environmental concerns are of interest to all levels of government, including related considerations with respect to intercommunity passenger transportation, and the potential for these modes to reduce energy use and emissions. As the leading sector in emissions, reducing emissions due to transportation is an action area identified in Ontario’s Climate Change Action Plan. Exhibit 2.1 and Exhibit 2.2 show indicative energy use and carbon dioxide emissions per passenger-kilometre for travel by private car (including 1 person and 2 persons per car), domestic air travel, diesel powered intercity rail, and motor coach. These figures are based on the averages for a wide sample of companies in the United States, as summarized for the American Bus Association (MJ Bradley & Associates, 2014). For private cars, the plots include figures for “average” (US fleet average fuel economy), “low” (reflecting use of a hybrid car), and “high” (reflecting use of a “typical” SUV-style vehicle). Note that domestic air, intercity rail and motor coach are industry averages only and results can vary greatly based on changes in passenger loading and operating conditions. For example, running a train at half of the typical loading doubles the energy use and carbon dioxide emissions per passenger-kilometre.
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Exhibit 2.1: Indicative Comparison of Energy Use per Passenger-Kilometre by Travel Mode
Source: IBI Group analysis of data summarized by MJ Bradley & Associates for the American Bus Association (2007). Note that domestic air, intercity rail and motor coach are industry averages only and results can vary greatly based on changes in passenger loading and operating conditions.
Exhibit 2.2: Indicative Comparison of Carbon Dioxide-Equivalent Emissions per Passenger-Kilometre by Travel Mode
Source: IBI Group analysis of data summarized by MJ Bradley & Associates for the American Bus Association (2007). Note that domestic air, intercity rail and motor coach are industry averages only and results can vary greatly based on changes in passenger loading and operating conditions.
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The following can be noted from these figures: Motorcoach, at typical passenger loads, is generally the most fuel efficient and has the least emissions of all the modes of travel, followed by diesel-powered intercity rail. Very low passenger loads can greatly increase the fuel use and emissions for these modes. Having two or more people share a ride in a private vehicle for an intercommunity trip can result in a trip that has approximately the same energy use and emissions as a public transportation mode, especially with ongoing improvements in fuel efficiency and emissions reductions in the vehicle fleet. Air travel results in greater fuel use and emissions than intercity rail and motorcoach modes. The figure shown is for domestic air travel, which typically is more efficient than international travel through the use of smaller planes and because they need to carry smaller fuel loads than long-distance international flights do. Fuel consumption and emissions per passenger-kilometre for air travel are increased when there is an increased number of take offs and landings along the route. While the air travel energy use and emissions may not be much greater on a per-kilometre basis than other passenger travel modes according to the figures in the charts, the cumulative environmental impact of each trip is greater. Air travel can make long-distance travel much easier and quicker than ground-related travel and can induce additional long-distance trips to be made; the greater total distance of travel can result in greater total emissions.
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3 Potential Intercommunity Passenger Transportation Ridership Markets
To gain a broad understanding of the potential ridership markets for intercommunity passenger transportation, the following highlights are discussed in this section: Passenger vehicle (i.e. automobiles, light-duty trucks and motorcycles) traffic flows in Northern Ontario, as an indicator of existing and future passenger travel demand levels – and potential demand levels for intercommunity passenger transportation services - - in key corridors; health-care trips as an example of essential travel required by residents of Northern Ontario; and more broadly, the locations of health care services and post- secondary institutions in Northern Ontario, as trips to these are generally the main markets served by intercommunity bus transportation. Typically, intercommunity passenger transportation ridership figures by private carrier are not readily available; however, VIA rail ridership is discussed in Section 4.
3.1 Passenger Vehicle Traffic
Exhibit 3.1 shows passenger-vehicle (i.e. automobiles, light-duty trucks and motorcycles) traffic volumes on the Northern Ontario highway network, showing 2011 passenger-vehicle traffic levels and anticipated levels in 2041. This plot is based on assigning NOMTS Part 1 survey origin-destination data collected at select locations such as Northern Ontario gateways to the road network, in combination with traffic classification count data throughout the Northern Ontario highway network. (The survey data, assignments, and traffic forecasting methodology are described more fully in the Highways and Roads technical backgrounder). Note that in this plot, traffic flows continuing beyond Northern Ontario represent only the continuation of trips using the Northern Ontario highway network, as opposed to total flows. The potential intercommunity passenger transportation market for travel along a corridor is generally proportional to the passenger vehicle flows along the corridor. Using existing passenger vehicle flows as an indicator of potential
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intercommunity transportation demand is common practice in transit planning. Higher passenger vehicle traffic levels along a corridor indicate a potentially greater market for passenger transportation services along that corridor.
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Exhibit 3.1: Flows of Passenger Vehicles using the Northern Ontario Highway Network, 2011 and 2041
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As can be seen in the exhibit, some of the highest passenger volumes are on highway links connecting North Bay and Sudbury southerly toward Toronto (approximately 6,000 to 9,000 average daily passenger vehicles, with higher flows in the summer months). As could be noted from Exhibit 1.1 and Exhibit 1.2 and will be discussed later in this document, these Northern-Southern Ontario corridors are served as follows: Sudbury and Toronto are connected by VIA Rail, as well as Greyhound, and Ontario Northland bus services, and North Bay and Toronto are connected by Ontario Northland bus services. Close in magnitude to these Northern-Southern Ontario flows are flows along Highway 17 between the Sudbury area and North Bay.
The majority of the Highway 17 corridor in Northern Ontario is served only by a once-daily Greyhound route that runs between Sudbury and North Bay easterly only in the overnight period, but westbound in daytime hours. In response to Greyhound’s service frequency reduction in late 2015 resulting in this once-daily service only, ONTC added 6 times weekly service between Sudbury and North Bay in January 2016, with 3 of these trips continuing between North Bay and Ottawa. This additional service helps meet the apparent demand between two these Northern urban centres, as indicated by the levels of passenger vehicle flows on Highway 17 between them. This new ONTC service is weekend- focused, with no service between Sudbury and Ottawa on Tuesdays or Wednesdays except for the daily Greyhound service.
Similarly, travel demand between Manitoulin and Sudbury, two areas not currently connected by intercommunity bus transportation but with moderate passenger vehicle travel flows between them, could also support intercommunity bus service if service were to be provided. Another section of Highway 17 with higher passenger vehicle volumes but also only serviced by the once-daily Greyhound service is the section between the Ontario-Manitoba border and Dryden, and service in the eastbound direction is only provided during the overnight hours in this section. Passenger-vehicle flows in the Kenora area are more oriented toward Winnipeg as the closest regional urban centre, and many residents of the area travel to Winnipeg for health care and other services. There are moderate passenger vehicle flows between Thunder Bay and the Nipigon area on Highway 11&17. This corridor is served by Greyhound bus, by Kasper Minibus and by Caribou Coach (though Caribou Coach service is “temporarily suspended” as of August 2016). The latter two continue easterly on Highway 11 toward Geraldton. Beyond Geraldton easterly on Highway 11, passenger vehicle flows are markedly low until east of Highway 631 approaching Hearst. Highway 11 between Geraldton and Hearst is a challenge
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for bus operators to service due to the low volumes, as well as a lack of cell phone coverage in the event of emergencies.
3.2 Travel Grant Origins and Destinations
The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care provided summarized information relating to recipients of travel grants through the Northern Health Travel Grants program for a one-year period, between April 2014 to March 2015, including patient place of residence and service provision. To qualify, grant recipients must travel at least 100 km one-way to access a medical specialist or approved health care facility services that are not available locally. Exhibit 3.2 is a map of home community/municipality locations for patients receiving a travel grant, and also includes grants for companions and third-party travellers (e.g. an adult accompanying a patient under 16 years of age, a parent accompanying their child, or a third-party organization that receives the grant on the patient’s behalf). Similarly, Exhibit 3.3 is a plot of the service locations for the grant recipients, their companions, and third-party travellers (the two exhibits use different scales to depict relative volumes). Companions and third-party travellers are more commonly part of longer-distance travel, such as to specialty care in Toronto. The longer-distance health care trips tend to originate within the larger Northern Ontario urban centres. The plots indicate that residents in communities of various sizes along the provincial highway network, generally along the Trans-Canada highway, have a need to travel to the larger urban centres for health care. A few sizable patient origin locations that are not on the Trans-Canada highway include Timmins, Red Lake at the north end of Highway 105, Chapleau on Highway 101 west of Timmins, and Manitouwadge north of Marathon. Exhibit 3.4 is a table summarizing the number of patients, the grant recipients’ home location and service locations, while Exhibit 3.5 shows this information by percentage of patients. A few observations are noted: Sudbury is the most common health care service location for Northern Ontario under the travel grant program for the 2014–15 year; it is the service provision location for 28% of Northern Ontario health care travel grants, or 55,000 patients. However, Sudbury is the focus of travel grants to recipients in Northeastern Ontario only, as patients in Northwestern Ontario travel to Thunder Bay as well as to Winnipeg for health care services under this grant program. Timmins, Sault Ste. Marie and North Bay are also significant centres for health care services in Northeastern Ontario.
November 2016 24 IBI GROUP DRAFT TECHNICAL BACKGROUNDER: INTERCOMMUNITY PASSENGER TRANSPORTATION Prepared for the Ontario Ministry of Transportation and Ministry of Northern Development and Mines
Exhibit 3.2: Travel Grant Recipient Home Community/Municipality Locations, March 2014 to April 2015
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Exhibit 3.3: Travel Grant Recipient Service Locations, March 2014 to April 2015
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Exhibit 3.4: Northern Ontario Travel Grant Service Locations by Recipient Home Location, March 2014 to April 2015 GRANT RECIPIENT HOME DISTRICT: NUMBER OF PATIENTS
-
-
Service Location
Kenora Rainy River Thunder Bay Cochrane Algoma Sudbury Greater Sudbury Mani toulin Timis kaming Nipissing Parry Sound Total Visits Other Canada Manitoba Winnipeg 11,819 3,294 730 - - - 1 - - - - 15,844 Northern Ontario Kenora Kenora 1,082 271 ------1,353 Dryden 1,203 146 73 ------1,422 Sioux Lookout 791 - 38 ------829 Rainy River Fort Frances 19 235 82 ------336 Thunder Bay Thunder Bay 7,247 7,502 18,669 657 486 12 2 - - - - 34,575 Terrace Bay - - 12 ------12 Marathon - - - - 6 ------6 Manitouwadge - - - - 22 ------22 Algoma Wawa - - - - 37 57 - - - - - 94 Sault Ste. Marie - 9 445 38 10,848 555 80 121 - 8 - 12,104 Blind River ------3 - - - - 3 Elliot Lake - - - - 48 - 9 11 - - - 68 Cochrane Hearst - - 42 33 79 ------154 Kapuskasing - - - 74 73 - 1 - - - - 148 Cochrane - - - 320 - 15 1 - 158 - - 494 Iroquois Falls ------6 - - 6 Timmins 6 - 30 12,652 193 2,631 32 - 4,408 27 - 19,979 South Porcupine ------11 - - 11 Sudbury Chapleau - - - - 48 7 - - - - - 55 Espanola - - - - 79 - - 262 - - - 341 Greater Sudbury Sudbury 13 - 105 10,299 12,556 3,650 - 10,450 5,614 8,202 4,498 55,387 Manitoulin Mindemoya ------29 - - - 29 Little Current ------175 - - - 175 Timiskaming Kirkland Lake - - - 635 - 10 - - 69 10 - 724 New Liskeard - - - 14 - - 7 - 222 6 - 249 Nipissing Sturgeon Falls - - - - - 7 1 - 6 - - 14 North Bay - - 10 1,137 57 124 611 22 5,984 120 640 8,705 Parry Sound Parry Sound - - - 8 15 119 233 60 - 16 107 558 Southern Ontario GTA and Hamilton Toronto, etc. 252 150 3,336 4,053 3,930 911 6,758 573 1,741 5,082 3,873 30,659 Central Ontario Barrie, Orillia, etc. - - 11 66 91 111 1,018 59 282 1,670 4,488 7,796 SW Ontario London, etc. 26 23 434 301 942 67 321 62 83 370 139 2,768 Eastern Ontario Ottawa, etc. 20 18 269 1,538 318 144 1,017 63 566 1,823 204 5,980 Total All Service Locations 22,478 11,648 24,286 31,825 29,828 8,420 10,095 11,887 19,150 17,334 13,949 200,900
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Exhibit 3.5: Percentages of Northern Ontario Travel Grant Recipients by Service Location: March 2014 to April 2015 GRANT RECIPIENT HOME DISTRICT: PROPORTION OF PATIENTS (%) BY HOME DISTRICT
-
-
Service Location
Kenora Rainy River Thunder Bay Cochrane Algoma Sudbury Greater Sudbury Mani toulin Timis kaming Nipissing Parry Sound Total Visits Other Canada Manitoba Winnipeg 52.6 28.3 3.0 - - - 0.0 - - - - 7.9 Northern Ontario Kenora Kenora 4.8 2.3 ------0.7 Dryden 5.4 1.3 0.3 ------0.7 Sioux Lookout 3.5 - 0.2 ------0.4 Rainy River Fort Frances 0.1 2.0 0.3 ------0.2 Thunder Bay Thunder Bay 32.2 64.4 76.9 2.1 1.6 0.1 0.0 - - - - 17.2 Terrace Bay - - 0.0 ------0.0 Marathon - - - - 0.0 ------0.0 Manitouwadge - - - - 0.1 ------0.0 Algoma Wawa - - - - 0.1 0.7 - - - - - 0.0 Sault Ste. Marie - 0.1 1.8 0.1 36.4 6.6 0.8 1.0 - 0.0 - 6.0 Blind River ------0.0 - - - - 0.0 Elliot Lake - - - - 0.2 - 0.1 0.1 - - - 0.0 Cochrane Hearst - - 0.2 0.1 0.3 ------0.1 Kapuskasing - - - 0.2 0.2 - 0.0 - - - - 0.1 Cochrane - - - 1.0 - 0.2 0.0 - 0.8 - - 0.2 Iroquois Falls ------0.0 - - 0.0 Timmins 0.0 - 0.1 39.8 0.6 31.2 0.3 - 23.0 0.2 - 9.9 South Porcupine ------0.1 - - 0.0 Sudbury Chapleau - - - - 0.2 0.1 - - - - - 0.0 Espanola - - - - 0.3 - - 2.2 - - - 0.2 Greater Sudbury Sudbury 0.1 - 0.4 32.4 42.1 43.3 - 87.9 29.3 47.3 32.2 27.6 Manitoulin Mindemoya ------0.2 - - - 0.0 Little Current ------1.5 - - - 0.1 Timiskaming Kirkland Lake - - - 2.0 - 0.1 - - 0.4 0.1 - 0.4 New Liskeard - - - 0.0 - - 0.1 - 1.2 0.0 - 0.1 Nipissing Sturgeon Falls - - - - - 0.1 0.0 - 0.0 - - 0.0 North Bay - - 0.0 3.6 0.2 1.5 6.1 0.2 31.2 0.7 4.6 4.3 Parry Sound Parry Sound - - - 0.0 0.1 1.4 2.3 0.5 - 0.1 0.8 0.3 Southern Ontario GTA, Hamilton Toronto, etc. 1.1 1.3 13.7 12.7 13.2 10.8 66.9 4.8 9.1 29.3 27.8 15.3 Central Ontario Barrie, Orillia, etc. - - 0.0 0.2 0.3 1.3 10.1 0.5 1.5 9.6 32.2 3.9 SW Ontario London, etc. 0.1 0.2 1.8 0.9 3.2 0.8 3.2 0.5 0.4 2.1 1.0 1.4 Eastern Ontario Ottawa, etc. 0.1 0.2 1.1 4.8 1.1 1.7 10.1 0.5 3.0 10.5 1.5 3.0 Total All Service Locations 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100
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Thunder Bay is the second most common health care service location, and is the service location for approximately 35,000 grant recipients, virtually all from Northwestern Ontario. Close to 16,000 health care travel grants were for travel to health care service provision in Winnipeg. This includes the 52% of travel grant recipients (11,800 patients) in Kenora and 28% in Rainy River (3,300 patients). When grant recipients within Thunder and Sudbury travel outside of their respective districts under the travel grant program, it is typically to specialized services in Southern Ontario, such as in Toronto. A total of 47,000 patients received travel grants for health care services in Southern Ontario.
3.3 Locations of Common Intercommunity Transportation Destinations
Exhibit 3.6 shows health care services and post-secondary institutions, which are common intercommunity passenger transportation destinations. These are shown in relation to the provision of intercommunity bus connections and taxi services. Some of the health care service locations are the focus of the Northern Health Care Grant trips noted in the previous section. The exhibit shows that hospitals and health care centres are located in a number of communities along the Highway 11 and 17 corridors, as well as in Timmins, Red Lake, Sioux Lookout, Manitouwadge, Hornepayne, Chapleau, and Elliot Lake, and in the James Bay communities. Communities that have hospitals but do not have taxi service include Atikokan, Chapleau, Mattawa, Attawapiskat and Fort Albany. Eighteen communities have post-secondary education institutions, Red Lake being the only such community without some form of scheduled intercommunity bus service, although scheduled air passenger services are available.
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Exhibit 3.6: Bus and Taxi Connections to Post-Secondary Institutions and Health Care Services
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4 Rail Passenger Services
4.1 Current Service Provision and Ridership Overall, passenger rail services are fairly limited in the North. There are currently only three regular routes in service, as was shown in Exhibit 1.1 together with service frequencies. These are described below. In addition to these, a seasonal tourist excursion train is operated by CN between Sault Ste. Marie and Agawa Canyon.
The VIA Transcontinental Train (“The Canadian”)
This service runs on the CN mainline from Toronto to Vancouver, two days per week in the winter, and three days per week in the summer. The train serves many communities in Northern Ontario. Major stops and train servicing take place in Capreol, Hornepayne and Sioux Lookout. All other stops in Northern Ontario, with the exception of Sudbury Junction, are flag stops where the train only stops if a reservation is made in advance. The service’s main markets are trips within Western Canada and between Western Canada and Southern Ontario. Of approximately 90,000 total annual boardings on this service (Via Rail, 2016) about 12% of trips are to, from or within Northern Ontario. Among Northern Ontario-related trips on “The Canadian”, trips within Northern Ontario, trips to/from Southern Ontario, and trips to/from Western Canada each represent approximately one-third of trips. Exhibit 4.1 shows boardings by Northern Ontario Station on this line for 2015. The busiest stations are Sudbury Junction and Sioux Lookout (with over 1,000 boardings each in 2015), as well as Hornepayne (approximately 750 boardings in 2015). For stations between Sioux Lookout and Nakina, communities that are at some distance from the primary highway network, the predominant trip purpose is to connect to other Northern Ontario communities. Service times on this line are based on transcontinental service needs and can be inconvenient in Northern Ontario. The westbound service departs Toronto at 10:00 p.m., serving Sudbury Junction (the closest stop to Sudbury) at about 5 a.m. continuing westbound, it reaches Sioux Lookout at midnight. The eastbound route leaves Winnipeg at 10:30 p.m. and reaches Sioux Lookout approximately 5 a.m., and Sudbury Junction about 1:00 a.m. the following day. As this service operates between Toronto and Vancouver, a distance of 4,466 km, on almost all single-track lines together with a relatively dense nexus
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of freight train services, schedule adherence can be major issues, with trains sometimes hours late. Travel times can also be long in comparison to other transportation options. For example, the scheduled rail journey time from Sudbury to Toronto is 7 hours, whereas the road journey from Sudbury to downtown Toronto is approximately 4 hours.
The “Northern Ontario” VIA Train
This service runs on Canadian Pacific (CP) tracks from Sudbury to White River, operating three days per week in each direction. The route was established to serve a number of communities that do not have road or air access, and VIA rail is mandated to provide the service by the Government of Canada (Via Rail, 2014). Since the route was established, road connections have been built to these communities. Boardings by station for this line are shown in Exhibit 4.2. This service has among the highest subsidy levels per passenger among VIA services, stated to be $3.98 per passenger-mile (Via Rail, 2015); the average total boardings per train trip on this service is approximately 15. The service is operated out of Sudbury using self-propelled rail cars originally built in the 1950s. Cars have to be taken to Toronto or Montreal for major repairs.
The Polar Bear Express Ontario Northland provides the Polar Bear Express passenger rail and rail freight service between Cochrane and Moosonee. This is the only year-round ground-based connection transportation to Moosonee and the James Bay coast.
4.2 Recent Rail Service Changes and Discontinuances
VIA Rail
In 2012, service on “The Canadian” line was reduced to 2 days per week from November to April, and maintained at 3 days per week May to October.
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Exhibit 4.1: VIA Rail Boardings by Station for “The Canadian” Transcontinental Line by Destination Zone, 2015
Source: IBI Analysis of VIA Rail Data
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Exhibit 4.2: VIA Rail Boardings by Station for “Northern Ontario” Line, 2015
Source: IBI Analysis of VIA Rail Data
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Ontario Northland Services
In 2012, a passenger rail service from Toronto to Cochrane, operated by the ONTC, was canceled; however the ONTC continued to provide its existing bus service to the communities previously served by the train. As part of a broader, organizational transformation, the ONTC continues to explore its market needs and find efficiencies in its service provision.
Algoma Central Rail Services On the line where CN operates the Agawa Canyon Tour Train (noted above), year-round service had been provided the full distance between Sault Ste. Marie and Hearst until July 2015. Recently, the Algoma Central Railway passenger service between Sault Ste. Marie and Hearst was suspended. The service connected a number of First Nations, small hamlets, and camps without conventional road access or intercommunity bus service. The service had been subsidized under the federal Remote Passenger Rail Program, which is available where rail is the only method of access to remote communities. However, most communities along the line are now considered to have road access (sometimes by forest access roads only). This subsidy for the Algoma line was cut in 2014, then reinstated for one more year. A three-year subsidy was negotiated with the Federal Government in March 2015, but challenges in finding an operator and in negotiating a subsidy with the Federal Government have affected the efforts to reinstate the service. Local efforts, which include support from the City of Sault Ste. Marie and local First Nations, continue to explore options for ensuring this service is available in the future. On this same line, CN continues operating the Agawa Canyon Tourist Train (as well as some freight rail to Hearst). The tourist train is a same-day, round-trip, seasonal excursion to the canyon. This route was also run in the winter as the “Snow Train” until the 2014–2015 winter season. The train peaked in popularity in the 1970s and 1980s, when approximately 100,000 visitors toured the Agawa Canyon annually on average. Ridership remained approximately 80,000 through the 1990s, but dropped significantly after 2001 with increased border security, a weaker US dollar, and reduced US tourism in Canada overall. There were an estimated 40,000 visitors in 2006, with further declines since then (Malone, Givens, Parsons Ltd., 2007). With increased marketing efforts and a stronger US dollar, ridership in 2015 was the highest it has been in recent years, with over 30,000 passengers in that year (MNDM, personal communication, 2016). In comparison, the regular passenger train service between Sault Ste. Marie and
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Hearst carried 10,600 passengers annually (about 200 passengers per week) between 2001 and 2006 (Malone, Givens, Parsons Ltd., 2007).
4.3 Past Trends in Passenger Rail Ridership
Exhibit 4.3 shows historic annual ridership trends in Northern Ontario-related trips on VIA’s “The Canadian” line from 2009 to 2015. Overall, Northern Ontario- related ridership has declined by almost one third over that period due to service reductions, inconvenient service hours, and increasingly frequent and convenient air passenger services. However, trips within Northern Ontario have been much more consistent over this period and have dropped only about 10%, highlighting the relatively stable demand for passenger rail to connect communities within Northern Ontario. Exhibit 4.4 shows that ridership on “The Northern Ontario” line has also been fairly consistent over the same period.
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Exhibit 4.3: VIA “The Canadian” Trips to/from Northern Ontario, 2009 – 2015
Source: IBI Group analysis of VIA Rail data
Exhibit 4.4: VIA "Northern Ontario" Boardings, 2009 – 2015
Source: IBI Group analysis of VIA Rail data
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5 Intercommunity Bus Services
The intercommunity bus mode in Northern Ontario provides connections for passengers travelling between major urban centres, and also connects smaller communities to major urban centres. In Northern Ontario, most intercommunity bus services operate along provincial highways, particularly the Highway 11 and Highway 17 corridors. Relative to more densely populated regions in North America, private-sector bus companies have found the Northern Ontario market challenging to turn a profit. Northern Ontario has been experiencing service reductions and discontinuances over the years by all of the major bus operators, which in turn contributes to decreasing ridership levels, further challenging the situation. This section profiles the operators of bus services in Northern Ontario and the services provided by these operators. Two types of intercommunity bus operations are provided in Northern Ontario:
Scheduled service, with posted frequencies and individual fares available for purchase by the general public; and
Charter service, where operators deliver service on an on-demand basis to meet the needs of a client group; the operator receives one payment for the trip.
5.1 Scheduled Intercommunity Bus Operators and Services
A map of scheduled intercommunity bus services in Northern Ontario was shown as Exhibit 1.2 with service levels and fares summarized in Exhibit 1.3. (Note that schedules can change on a regular basis to adapt to fluctuating demand, and services depicted are current as of summer 2016).
Scheduled service provided by the five current operators covers most of the Highway 11 and 17 corridors (with the exception of Highway 11 between Longlac and Hearst), as well as Highway 144 between Sudbury and Timmins, Highway 101 east of Timmins, and Highway 655 between Timmins and Highway 11. Despite the service coverage, there is often an unmet need for effective service between regional centres that enables same-day travel.
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Inter-Regional Operators
Both Greyhound and Ontario Northland provide daily services connecting Northern Ontario with Southern Ontario, and provide connections between major Northern Ontario urban centres situated on or close to Highways 11 and 17, the main corridors through the North. Greyhound also connects to Winnipeg, Ottawa and beyond. Autobus Maheux provides a link between North Bay and Rouyn- Noranda, Quebec. The services of inter-regional bus operators are summarized below: Greyhound Canada provides service between Toronto and Winnipeg. From Toronto to Sudbury, the route operates express, stopping only in Barrie. From Sudbury, the route then follows Highway 17 from Sudbury through Sault Ste. Marie, Thunder Bay, and Kenora to the Manitoba border, and represents the only intercommunity bus connection between Northeastern and Northwestern Ontario. Because this service is anchored in Toronto and Winnipeg, and given the long travel distances through Northern Ontario, the route passes through Many Northern Ontario communities at inconvenient times. Greyhound also provides daily service between Sudbury and Ottawa via Highway 17 and North Bay, transiting to a convenient transfer point in Ottawa for interprovincial trips to Quebec. Ontario Northland, a shortened marketing name for the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission (ONTC), a Crown agency of the Government of Ontario, provides intercommunity bus service in Northeastern Ontario with connections to Southern Ontario. Ontario Northland provides four round trips daily between Toronto and North Bay. Two buses daily continue north from North Bay along Highway 11 to Highway 101 at Matheson. Connections can then be made with Cochrane to the north or to Timmins to the west on Highway 101. Ontario Northland also provides three daily round trips between Toronto and Sudbury along Highways 400 and 69 — this service includes multiple stops compared to the express service provided by Greyhound. One trip daily continues north of Sudbury to Timmins via Highway 144. Twice-daily express service connects Timmins to Cochrane via Highway 655. The Highway 11 corridor previously served by “The Northlander” passenger train, was discontinued in September 2012. Ontario Northland continues to provide bus service to every community previously served by the Northlander.
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ONTC also provides a Sudbury-North Bay-Ottawa intercommunity bus service, which was started in January 2016, partly in response to recent Greyhound service cuts in the corridor. This new service was intended to be a six-month pilot. The initial six-month pilot phase has ended and the ONTC has approved the extension of the pilot for an additional six months. During periods of peak demand additional services may be operated. Autobus Maheux, an operator based in Quebec, serves a network in Western Quebec with a direct link between Rouyn-Noranda and North Bay. Autobus Maheux also provides service between Rouyn- Noranda and Montreal, and other communities in Quebec. There are no scheduled intercommunity bus services across the Canada-US international border; however, the Sault Ste. Marie Transit International Bridge Bus in Sault Ste. Marie provides a connection between the Greyhound stops in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario and Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.
Regional Operators
Caribou Coach and Kasper Mini-Bus provide services connecting communities in Northwestern Ontario with the regional centre of Thunder Bay: Caribou Coach provides three trips weekly linking Fort Frances to Thunder Bay via Highway 11 west of Thunder Bay. Caribou Coach also provided five trips weekly linking Thunder Bay and Longlac via Highway 11 east of Thunder Bay, though this scheduled service has been “temporarily suspended” since August 2016. Caribou Coach additionally provides a specialized mine-run from the Thunder Bay airport and Atkinson’s Camp (50 km northwest of Fort Frances, east of Highway 71); and Kasper Mini-Bus is the newest bus service provider in Northern Ontario, providing scheduled service since July 2015 on weekdays between Thunder Bay and Sioux Lookout along Highway 17, with additional stops on request. Kasper provides scheduled services between Thunder Bay and Longlac, having amalgamated with Porky’s bus service, who previously served the route. In addition, A. J. Bus Lines is contracted by the City of Elliot Lake to provide daily service between Elliot Lake and the closest Greyhound stop on Highway 17, timed to coincide with the Greyhound service schedule.
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Fares
Intercommunity bus fares are substantially less expensive compared to air travel, as can be seen in Exhibit 5.1, a comparison table of fares by mode for select origin-destination pairs by mode. The table shows that one-way adult fares for these origin-destination pairs are between $50 and $240, while the air fares are between approximately $200 and $400. Rail fares are comparable to bus fares for travel between the same locations. Ontario Northland and Greyhound offer multiple adult discounts, and Ontario Northland, Greyhound, Autobus Maheux and Caribou Coach offer senior, student, and child fares. There are two general types of fare structures among the intercommunity bus providers:
Reservation-based fares: customers book tickets with pricing that may fluctuate based on demand and available capacity; and,
Fixed-price fare: ticket prices for a given route that do not change based on demand or availability. Details on the fare system used by each carrier were included in Exhibit 1.3.
Exhibit 5.1: Adult Fare Comparison for Selected Origin-Destination Pairs by Mode Lowest Fare by Mode Route Bus Air Rail Sudbury-Winnipeg $240 $400 $175 Toronto-Sudbury $80 $185 $60 Ottawa-Sudbury $80 $271 - Toronto-North Bay $80 $210 - Sudbury-Timmins $60 $210 - Thunder Bay-Sioux Lookout $75 $240 - Sioux Lookout-Winnipeg N/A $420 $65 Timmins-Moosonee N/A $375 $50 (to/from Cochrane) Notes: “-” indicates that no option is available for that mode. The lowest fare available is includes. Note that some airlines have fare options that are considerably more expensive
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5.2 Recent Scheduled Service Reductions and Discontinuances
A number of service reductions and discontinuances have taken place in recent years on the Northern Ontario intercommunity bus network. Changes in service levels between 2000 and 2016 are summarized in Exhibit 5.2, which shows that service levels have decreased considerably and several routes abandoned. Service changes in recent years are also shown in map form in Exhibit 5.3 and include the following: November 2015: Ontario Northland service on the Cochrane-Timmins route was reduced from three trips per day to two and the Cochrane – Iroquois Falls/Matheson route was reduced from two trips per day to one. Service on Highway 11 between Kapuskasing and Hearst was reduced from daily to three times a week. In the past, Ontario Northland provided bus service between Timmins and Wawa via Highway 101. This service ended in the 1990s. September 2015: Greyhound nearly halved service from twice daily to once daily on its Winnipeg to Toronto and Sudbury to Ottawa routes; two additional weekly express Toronto-Sudbury trips (Fridays and Sundays) were spared. March 2015: Caribou Coach service between Longlac and Hearst was suspended indefinitely, severing a link between Northeastern and Northwestern Ontario. As a result of this cut, riders needing to travel between locations on the Highway 11 corridor north of North Bay to locations west of Hearst must travel to North Bay or Sudbury, then take the Greyhound route to Thunder Bay. Kasper minibus temporarily introduced a Longlac to Hearst service in May 2016. The service was “temporarily suspended” in May 2016; however, Kasper has indicated via social media that it is exploring options to reinstate the service. January 2014: Caribou Coach stopped providing service on Highway 105, leaving the Red Lake community without an intercommunity bus connection to Highway 11. Services previously ran three times per week. December 2013: Caribou Coach stopped providing service between Fort Frances and Kenora via Highway 71, servicing smaller communities in the Kenora District such as Sioux Narrows and Crow Lake. This service ran three times a week.
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Exhibit 5.2: Northern Ontario Bus Service Levels, 2000 and 2016 Year 2000 Year 2016 Service Service Service Routing Frequency Frequency Greyhound Canada Sudbury - Winnipeg Hwy17 3/day 1/day Toronto - Sudbury Hwy 400, Hwy 69 3/day 9/week Ottawa - Sudbury Hwy17 3/day 1/day Thunder Bay - Kirkland Lake Hwy 11 1/day Discontinued Timmins- Kirkland Lake - Toronto Hwy 101, Hwy 11 3/day Discontinued Ontario Northland Toronto-North Bay Hwy 11 2/day 4/day North Bay-Matheson Hwy 11 2/day 2/day Matheson-Cochrane Hwy 11 2/day 1/day Matheson-Timmins Hwy 101 6/week 3/day Toronto-Sudbury Hwy 400, Hwy 69 6/day 3/day Sudbury-Timmins Hwy 144 1/day 1/day Timmins-Cochrane Hwy 655 1/day 2/day Cochrane-Kapuskasing Hwy 11 not served 1/day Kapuskasing-Hearst Hwy 11 not served 3/week Autobus Maheux North Bay - Rouyn-Noranda Hwy 63, QC 101 1/day 1/day Kirkland Lake - Rouyn-Noranda Hwy 66, QC 117 1/day Discontinued Grey Goose Bus Lines Winnipeg - Fort Frances Hwy 17, Hwy71 2/day Discontinued Fort Frances - Thunder Bay Hwy 11 1/day Discontinued Caribou Coach Lines Thunder Bay - Fort Frances Hwy 11 1/day 3/week Thunder Bay - Longlac Hwy 11 - 5/week (“temporarily suspended” as of August 2017) Kasper Thunder Bay - Sioux Lookout Hwy 11, Hwy 72 - 5/week Thunder Bay - Longlac Hwy 11 - 5/week A.J. Bus Lines Elliot Lake – Hwy 17 Hwy 108 - 7/week
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Exhibit 5.3: Recent Scheduled Intercommunity Bus Service Reductions and Discontinuances
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5.3 Ridership on Scheduled Services
Ridership information for Northern Ontario intercommunity bus services was not available for Strategy development purposes, though reduced ridership levels have been cited as a reason for reducing service levels, and it is known that reducing service levels tends to have a further negative impact on ridership, in a continuing downward spiral. Anecdotal information about bus ridership levels was shared during Strategy engagement sessions. The most highly-used services are connections from North Bay and Sudbury to Toronto, where buses have been reported to be often full upon arrival at intermediary stops. At the same time, buses on Highway 17 west of Sudbury often operate at less than capacity, and Caribou Coach Services have been observed to be carrying only a fraction of their capacity. According to feedback from intercommunity bus stakeholders, the major markets served include students, seniors, and lower-income individuals. With significant travel time savings compared to ground-based modes, air travel is gaining ridership, which may contribute to the downward trend of bus ridership. For example, both Porter and Bearskin Airlines have increased service to several communities in Northern Ontario, often with introductory and competitive fares. Airline service frequencies are detailed in the Municipal Airports Technical Backgrounder.
Travel Purposes
Based on feedback from intercommunity bus stakeholders, the major markets served include students, seniors, and lower-income individuals. Common trip purposes were identified as follows, though the relative proportion of each is not known: Social, e.g. visiting friends or relatives; Non-emergency health care and medical appointments; Shopping/groceries; Post-secondary schools; Religious or cultural events; Personal appointments such as banking, court related or legal meetings; and Employment.
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5.4 Bus Stops and Terminals
Major urban centres in Northern Ontario tend to have a sheltered terminal for intercommunity buses: In Northeastern Ontario, most terminals are operated by Ontario Northland, providing a sheltered waiting area, restrooms, and ticketing services. Ontario Northland terminals are located in North Bay, Sudbury, Timmins, Cochrane and Kirkland Lake.
In Sudbury, Greyhound and Ontario Northland operate from the same terminal as of June 2016, whereas they previously had separate terminals over 9 km apart. In Northwestern Ontario, each operator has its own terminal in Thunder Bay. The Greyhound and Caribou Coach terminals are adjacent, and Kasper Mini-Bus operates in a terminal 800 m away. Greyhound operates a bus depot providing ticketing services and shelter in Kenora. Other stops are a mix of agency stops, where a local business (often a gas station/convenience store) sells tickets on behalf of the bus operator, and flag stops, with no ticket agent. Agency stops only feature whatever amenities are at the local business, and in some cases do not include a sheltered waiting area. Flag stops do not have any amenities, and the bus only stops if flagged down. These flag stops are often poorly lit and have no sheltered waiting area or other amenities. This means that passengers must wait for buses on the side of the road with no protection from winter weather and general inclement weather. Poorly lit stops are also safety concerns for individuals waiting for buses at night.
5.5 Vehicle Types
Greyhound Canada, Ontario Northland, and Caribou Coach all operate traditional, highway-style coaches (capacity of 47 to 56 seats) on their intercommunity routes, such as shown in Exhibit 5.4. Kasper differs from traditional operators by utilizing 16-seat minibuses, customized for long-distance journeys. Smaller vehicles such as these can reduce costs and increase the financial viability of providing a new bus service where the anticipated ridership is too low to fill a full-size bus.
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Exhibit 5.4: Traditional Full-Size Coach Example: Ontario Northland
Photo Source: Ontario Northland (used with permission)
5.6 Charter Bus Services
Thirty-five charter carriers based in Northern Ontario are registered with the Ontario Highway Transport Board. Around half of these charter carriers are based in major Northern Ontario urban areas, with others based in smaller communities such as Hearst and Sioux Lookout. Additional carriers based elsewhere in Ontario are registered to offer charter service in Northern Ontario.
Charter carriers offer service for group travel in Northern Ontario for a wide variety of trip purposes, including social, shopping, and work-related. Many charter carriers are also tour providers, organizing tourism-related travel in Northern Ontario. Charter carriers are also important in supporting shuttle service for employees to the remote Northern Ontario mining locations. For example, Tisdale Bus Lines has been chartered to provide scheduled service to Cochrane from the Detour Lake mine. Chartered carriers are important for remote industrial operations, providing employee transport service from major urban centres to employee camps.
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6 Community Transportation Services
Numerous small-scale transportation services have been established to help close the gaps in intercommunity rail and bus passenger transportation, and serve a variety of trip purposes. Often these are geared to specific markets, such as non-emergency health care, seniors, or people with disabilities. While many of these services address intra-community transportation needs, the focus of this technical backgrounder is on intercommunity transportation services.
6.1 Sample Community-Based Services
This section highlights several examples of community-based transportation services in Northern Ontario. An extensive list is included as Appendix A. Some examples of these services are described below:
Atikokan Native Friendship Centre: Life Long Care Program: Provides programs and services to address needs of elderly Aboriginal people with chronic illness and/or any form of disability;
Provides transportation within the municipality to all events at the Centre, the hospital or clinic and for errands around town including grocery shopping;
Arranges transportation for out of town specialist appointments when no other arrangements are available;
Must be registered in the Life Long Care program to qualify for transportation;
Out-of-town transportation determined by program coordinator based on discussion with client to ensure no other transportation is available;
No fee or fare for transportation; Centre receives some Provincial and Federal funding.
Canadian Red Cross Society – Kenora and District (Cochrane, Kenora District, Rainy River District): Seniors Transportation Program Offers door-to-door transportation; Provides rural and local residents transportation for medical or health related appointments in/out of town;
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Acts as a third-party designate for travel grants, so that local individuals can sign the travel grant over to cover some or all of the cost for out of town and/or overnight trips;
Accommodates folding wheelchairs for individuals able to get in and out without assistance;
Eligibility criteria: Must not be able to access the public transportation services (i.e., too far to walk/bus stairs too difficult) Must not be able to drive themselves Must not live in a long-term care facility Must be able to get in and out of the vehicle with minimal assistance.
Municipality of Machin, Vermilion Bay Offers a service to assist seniors with independently living Provides transportation to the City of Dryden for medical appointments, shopping, etc.
West Parry Sound Community Support Services Offers non-emergency transportation to local and long-distance medical appointments and regular activities (such as grocery shopping and banking).
Volunteer drivers.
Timiskaming Home Support, Kirkland Lake Local Accessible Transit - Non-emergency door-to-door wheelchair- accessible transportation to medical appointments, shopping, church, school or other destinations;
Advance reservations required; Fee per ride and billed on a monthly basis; Last-minute cancellations are billed; Escorts/companions may be required during the trip and ride at no cost.
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Patricia Region Senior Services, Dryden Partners with Dryden Native Friendship Centre to provide transportation services;
Provides transportation to medical appointments, shopping, and social activities;
Provides up to six discount taxi vouchers per month; Must meet one of the following criteria: The client is in receipt of or eligible to receive other long-term care community services The client is isolated and requires social interaction or stimulation.
6.2 Issues and Challenges
Despite operators’ best efforts, there are issues and challenges in operating community-based transportation services that were identified at a recent community engagement meeting. The top issues are as follows: It can be difficult to attract qualified volunteer drivers; There is a cost in training drivers; There is a shortage of vehicles, including a shortage of wheelchair- accessible vehicles; Vehicle maintenance costs are high; Typically, the focus is on transportation for seniors and other identified client groups, which can exclude the general public also in need of transportation; There are issues with cost and user affordability; There are cultural sensitivity issues with some drivers when serving Indigenous populations; Services are often not advertised and therefore not widely known in the community; There are many trip requests that go unmet; and Community based services are financially strained.
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7 Outlooks for Intercommunity Passenger Transportation in Northern Ontario
7.1 Population Forecasts
In the Draft Socio-Economic Context Working Paper issued February 2016, Reference, Low and High population forecasts were prepared. For the study area as a whole, population changes for the period from 2011 to 2041 were - 1.0%, -5.0% and +1.0% for the three scenarios respectively. In other words the Northern Ontario population is anticipated to be relatively stable. Areas within Northern Ontario with the highest anticipated levels of growth under the Reference scenario through 2041 include Manitoulin (10% growth), Kenora (5% growth), Nipissing and Sudbury (both with 4% growth). Changes in travel behaviour will generally result from changes in demographic trends, economic and social activities in Northern Ontario, as well as the spectrum of passenger services offered by transportation operators and agencies. The aging demographic will have a notable impact on the intercommunity passenger transportation needs. The overall population will be the same or lower, but more people will require specialized transportation services for medical appointments, shopping, social visits, and other reasons.
7.2 Passenger Rail
As discussed in Section 4.2, ridership on the existing VIA passenger rail services are at best stable and in some respects declining. This is at least in part because of competition with faster air services and increased levels of car ownership. The highway network is also being improved, increasing the feasibility and/or attractiveness of travel by private vehicle instead of by rail, with resulting increased fuel use and emissions compared to travel by rail. In general, passenger rail services require capital-intensive facilities and equipment and multi-person crews. Therefore, this mode has less flexibility than other modes to scale its service to the need and population served. These factors can make passenger rail less competitive with intercommunity bus service. Because of these factors it is unlikely that the federal government, through VIA Rail Canada, will implement new scheduled passenger rail services in Northern Ontario. There could be some potential for a tourist service in some
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areas based on the model of the several Rocky Mountaineer excursions that have been implemented in Western Canada, though the potential has not been assessed to any degree. An argument could also be made that although rail is costly to provide, there could be a net benefit, economic or otherwise, to the region for providing strategic passenger rail services.
7.3 Intercommunity Bus
Recent trends indicate that the existing method of providing conventional scheduled bus services is running into serious difficulties in Northern Ontario. While high passenger vehicle volumes between some major centres in the North such as Sudbury and North Bay indicate that there is potential market for viable intercommunity bus service, the current service delivery model is resulting in depressed ridership and subsequent service cuts. Previous revenue generators such as parcel/mail delivery are less frequently used than in the past because of increased courier services, and no longer provide additional revenues to offset the costs of passenger services as they have in the past. Travel frequencies are low and travel schedules are often inconvenient. Any new services that could be implemented will likely benefit from being based on a different model, perhaps using smaller vehicles to serve both individuals and groups travelling together, matching supply to demand on a real-time basis with a form of dynamic scheduling. There is currently an MTO initiative to modernize the regulatory environment for intercommunity bus province-wide. A potential improvement could be to reduce the entry controls of OHTB to reduce the time and legal fees involved in starting a new service and to foster competition. The revised regulatory context as a result of the MTO review of intercommunity bus regulations would have a direct impact on the strategic options put forward as part of NOMTS. Alternative service delivery models are also being studied, and may be proposed as part of other strategic options for NOMTS.
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7.4 Community Services
Over the years, a range of community-based transportation services have emerged to fill in service gaps or meet both general ridership and specialized transportation needs (i.e. seniors, persons with disabilities, low income earners and youth). Looking forward, community transportation initiatives and alternative service delivery models provided by municipalities and/or local health service groups, social service agencies, and/or other volunteer organizations will likely continue to play a role to meet new and growing intra and intercommunity transportation needs in the North.
Through the Provincial Community Transportation Pilot Grant Program, municipalities and partnering community organizations are able to carry out pilot projects that optimize existing resources and provide more travel options to more people, thereby improving service. In many cases, using smaller vehicles, internet technology and dynamic scheduling, these projects can help residents in smaller communities travel more conveniently to necessary services and other opportunities in larger urban centres.
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8 Issues and Opportunities
8.1 Intercommunity Passenger Transportation — General
A revised framework for providing a network of intercommunity passenger transportation services is needed in the North to make intercommunity rail and bus travel more coordinated and to provide more viable transportation options, from both a service provision and a ridership point of view. Building on the existing intercommunity passenger network as a base between larger centres and/or along primary provincial highways (save for between Hearst and Longlac), community-based transportation solutions can better fill in community transportation gaps. Overarching planning principles to consider in Strategy development relating to intercommunity transportation include the following: Ensuring a basic level of service connectivity between regional hubs/centres along major provincial highways (e.g. ensuring the provision of same-day return travel options to and from regional centres) and effective service between regional centres; Coordination of travel schedules between modes and providers to optimize connections; Helping connections between travel modes to be more seamless by supporting multimodal transportation; Ensuring equitable access to provincial government services that are usually provided in regional centres for all ages and for all social groups Providing safe shelters/waiting areas at major pick-up points with basic services and communications (e.g. covered shelter, cell- phone/telephone service, and in the longer-term, real-time bus/train arrival information); Access to reliable and optimal internet access while travelling; and Enhanced information about available intercommunity transportation services, including connections to other transportation modes and services.
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8.2 Rail Passenger Services
Issues
VIA Rail passenger service in Northern Ontario is more sparse, slow, and infrequent than desirable to serve as a primary regional intercommunity transportation mode. The schedule of the most important service route in the North, “The Canadian,” is designed to cater to trans-continental travellers, resulting in inconvenient travel schedules for Northern Ontario travellers.
Since most rail lines in the north are single-track and passenger trains have to reduce speed when they overtake freight trains moving in the same direction and wait for freight trains moving in the opposite direction to find sidings, commercial speeds are low and delays are common. Scheduled travel times by rail can be longer than road travel time. As an example, the scheduled time for “The Canadian” to Sudbury is 7 hours, while the road journey from downtown Toronto is approximately 4 hours. Aside from the larger urban centres, rail stations or shelters are not generally provided at stops.
The costs of providing passenger rail service are very high compared to road- based modes, given the costs of maintaining train equipment and infrastructure, and the minimum crew size needed to safely operate the train. Only when rail ridership is very high, such as in high-volume urban corridors, can rail passenger service come close to being provided on a cost-recovery basis. Therefore, rail passenger transportation services are subsidized by the government. In examining the effectiveness and efficiency of such services, however, the larger benefits of passenger rail should be taken into consideration, such as ensuring a minimum level of accessibility to services for the resident population, making the region more attractive to tourism, and/or potential environmental benefits such as reduced GHG and other emissions.
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Opportunities
Availability of a Network of Railway Infrastructure One important opportunity for expanding or reconfiguring rail service in Northern Ontario is that rail track is already in place and is being maintained for freight use. For example, this could allow VIA service to be extended to serve the largest community in Northwestern Ontario, Thunder Bay, by either: Extending the “Northern Ontario” line on the CP route from Sudbury to White River westerly to Thunder Bay, directly connecting the two largest urban centres of Northern Ontario, and allowing the opportunity for scheduling that would serve both centres well; or Rerouting “The Canadian” service from the CN line to the CP route to Winnipeg; this also would also connect the two largest Northern Ontario centres, though likely with less convenient schedules for Northerners, and would allow transcontinental riders to take advantage of the Lake Superior scenery. In this case, a remote area service would probably still be required on the CN line between Sudbury and Sioux Lookout. Based on results from the NOMTS Part 1 passenger vehicle survey in 2011/2012, there is an average of 218 people per day travelling between Sudbury and Thunder Bay, in addition to air travellers, and individuals who do not make the trip because of a lack of suitable service. Some of these trips could be served or induced by rail with one of the two options described above. In many cases where passenger rail service is not currently provided on existing rail track, the track would need significant improvements to allow for viable passenger rail operating speeds. For example, in the Huron Central Rail corridor between Sault Ste. Marie and Sudbury, which currently operates only freight trains, the rail speed limit is low because of the quality of the track; according to Huron Central sources reinstatement of passenger services would require investment in upgrading.
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8.3 Intercommunity Bus
Issues
Low Service Frequencies for Existing Services Intercommunity bus services are an important part of mobility for Northern Ontario residents, but service levels are lower than required to encourage their use and make the services more viable. Service frequencies and schedules are not conducive to same-day trips to urban centres for shopping, social activities, and medical and other appointments, which are a primary trip purposes for intercommunity bus transportation. This greatly increases the cost of travel by requiring an overnight stay for these travellers. Participants in strategy engagement activities have noted that with the reduction of Greyhound service provision, the now once-daily Greyhound buses are often sold out/full when they arrive at a station or stop, leaving passengers with no other means of transportation — resorting to hitchhiking is not uncommon. Many stops in rural areas have no shelter whatsoever, which makes long wait times and the lack of coordination between services even more problematic and potentially dangerous for waiting passengers.
Inconvenient Schedules Scheduled travel times for services can be very inconvenient and greatly discourage use of available services. For example, on days when ONTC does not provide service between North Bay and Sudbury, the only eastbound bus departs Sudbury at 12:30 a.m. and arrives at North Bay at 2:20 a.m. (The westbound route’s scheduling is better: the bus departs North Bay at 3:20 p.m. and arrives at Sudbury at 5:45 p.m.).
Even where bus terminals are provided, the terminals or facilities tend not to be open to accommodate the night-time busses.
Geographic Coverage The intercommunity bus service network in Northern Ontario is focused on the Highway 11, 17 and 144 corridors to connect major urban centres. Notable gaps include the following:
There is currently a scheduled intercommunity bus service on the entire extent of Highways 11 and 17 in Northern Ontario except for the 210 km section between Hearst and Longlac on Highway 11, where the only significant population centre is Constance Lake First Nation with a population of 849. As this section of road has low travel demand as shown
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by low passenger vehicle volumes, it is very difficult for any scheduled passenger service to be financially viable; intercommunity transportation may best be provided by alternate, more flexible transportation services; e.g. such as discussed in Sections 2.3, 7.3and 7.4. There are also no scheduled passenger rail or air services connecting to Hearst. Travelling from Hearst to Thunder Bay by bus requires travelling from Hearst to Sudbury by Ontario Northland, then from Sudbury to Thunder Bay by Greyhound; coordinated services would greatly benefit this trip.
There is no intercommunity bus service along Highway 101 between Timmins and Wawa; a corridor with a population of 2,605. With some industry in the vicinity and a handful of First Nations communities in the corridor, scheduled services could provide economic support and mobility benefits, and increase tourism opportunities. As for Highway 17 between Longlac and Hearst, given the low passenger traffic volumes, intercommunity transportation may best be provided by alternate, more flexible transportation services that can dynamically match service supply to fluctuating demand.
Dryden is currently underserved by intercommunity transportation services. The only available intercommunity travel option is the Greyhound service between Winnipeg and Thunder Bay, where eastbound bus comes through town only at 2:45 a.m. (westbound departs at 8:15 p.m.). While residents of Sioux Lookout and Dryden commonly have a need to travel between their two communities, Kasper Minibus connects Sioux Lookout only easterly to Thunder Bay, although Kasper has applied to also provide a bus connection between Sioux Lookout and Dryden. The community of Red Lake is not served by any scheduled intercommunity bus service as it was in the past. Red Lake has a hospital and post-secondary school, but no longer has any intercommunity bus connections with communities on Highway 17. There are approximately 18 First Nations communities and 14 municipalities and townships with a total population of approximately 31,000 without scheduled intercommunity bus service, as noted by selected highway corridor in Exhibit 8.1. There are also numerous other unincorporated communities, as well as First Nations communities and municipalities that are not adjacent to a provincial highway but could be within the potential service area if there were a scheduled intercommunity service along the highways.
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Exhibit 8.1: Communities by Select Highway Corridor without Scheduled Intercommunity Bus Service Total Highway Population Corridor First Nations Municipalities/ Townships (2011) Northwestern Ontario 71 Rainy River (444) Chapple (741) 2,942 Ojibways of Onigaming (467) Sioux Narrows (720) Naotkamegowanning (753) Animakee Wa Zhing #37 (217) 105 Wabuskang First Nation (135) Red Lake (4,366) 5,527 Ear Falls (1,026) 527 Gull Bay (371) Armstrong (1,216) 1,941 Whitesand (354) 584 - Greenstone (4,724) 4,724 599 Ojibway Nation of Saugeen (83) Pickle Lake (425) 1,570 Mishkeegogamang (1,062) Total 9 total 7 total 18,809 Northeastern Ontario 6 Aundek Onmi Kaning (495) Assigninack (960) 9,685 Sheguiandah (155) Central Manitoulin (1,958) Wikwemikong (2,520) Tehkummah (406) Whitefish River (485) Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands (2,706) 101 Brunswick House (207) Chapleau (2,116) 2,412 Chapleau Ojibway Cree (30) Chapleau Cree First Nation (59) 614 Ojibway Nation of Saugeen (83) Pickle Lake (425) 1,570 Mishkeegogamang (1,062) 631 - Hornepayne (1,050) 1,050 Total 9 total 7 total 12,097 Population sources: INAC, Statistics Canada
Rest Stops Intercommunity bus services would benefit from enhanced highway rest stops. Very long travel distances mean some travel is necessarily done at night, when even bus terminals are not open. The ability to stop at highway rest areas with at least basic services available at night would benefit both the drivers and passengers of intercommunity bus services.
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Opportunities
Significant Passenger Traffic Volumes in the Sault Ste. Marie – North Bay Corridor and to/from Manitoulin One geographic market that is a potential opportunity for improved intercommunity bus service in Northern Ontario is the Highway 17 corridor between Sault Ste. Marie and North Bay. The passenger vehicle traffic on this corridor is higher than in most Northern Ontario highway corridors and includes three major urban hubs/centres. The only intercommunity passenger transit service west of Sudbury is once-daily Greyhound service as part of its Toronto- Winnipeg service. Sudbury to Ottawa also has once-daily Greyhound service as part of the service to Ottawa, which operates at travel times that are generally inconvenient for local travel. ONTC has recently added daytime bus service between Sudbury and Ottawa as part of an ongoing pilot project. Another potential opportunity for improved intercommunity bus service is in the corridor connecting Manitoulin Island to Sudbury, which also has significant passenger vehicle flows. Sudbury is the primary destination for trips for health care and other services for residents of Manitoulin. While the population of Northern Ontario is expected to remain relatively stable through 2041, with some areas seeing a slight decline, Manitoulin is anticipated to have the highest rate of growth with a 10% increase from 13,300 in population in 2011 to 14,600 by 2041. Nipissing (including North Bay) and Greater Sudbury are both anticipated to have 4% population growth (87,600 to 91,500 in Nipissing and 164,900 to 172,300 in Greater Sudbury). The above opportunities reflect these favourable demographic trends while addressing current deficiencies in service.
Regulatory Environment The current regulatory environment can be a deterrent to new service provision. Once a service is approved, the operator has to continue operation or provide at least 90 days’ notice to discontinue. The MTO initiative to modernize the regulatory environment may benefit the provision of intercommunity bus transportation in Northern Ontario.
Flexibility in Service Models and Vehicle Sizes The Kasper Minibus option illustrates the potential of using smaller vehicle sizes to reduce costs and increase the financial viability of providing a new bus service where the anticipated ridership is too low to fill a full-size bus. These services are also able to provide schedules that are more convenient because they are based in the North and not operating long-distance through services.
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Other possibilities for non-conventional vehicles include sleeper buses to more comfortably accommodate long-distance travellers.
Seasonal Travel Flows Northern Ontario tends to host significantly more tourists and people travelling for recreational purposes in summer than in winter. As noted in the Highways and Roads technical backgrounder, passenger vehicle volumes on the Northern Ontario highway network increase on average 65% overall between winter and summer months, and summer average daily passenger vehicle traffic is 30% higher than annual average daily passenger vehicle traffic. The amount of seasonal increase varies by area, and much of this additional traffic is seen on summer weekends. VIA Rail has a reduced winter schedule on “The Canadian” route and the Agawa Canyon Train operates only seasonally; meanwhile most other intercommunity passenger transportation services are provided at the same frequencies year- round. Similarly, there may be an opportunity for other passenger transportation modes to take greater advantage of increased summer travel demand in Northern Ontario and either increase frequencies in the summer or introduce more seasonal services to make intercommunity passenger transportation more profitable and to make Northern Ontario more attractive to tourists during the peak travel season.
8.4 Community Transportation Services
Issues
A number of issues relating to keeping community-based transportation services in operation were noted during consultation findings; commonly noted among these were funding challenges including the fact that funding is transferred to municipalities and not directly to service providers, and challenges in recruiting, training, and retaining quality staff and volunteers. Most of these services are set up for a single purpose and may therefore not realize their full potential; for example a service set up to provide connections to health facilities in a regional centre would likely also be used by students going to and from post-secondary school facilities if the client group of the service were expanded.
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Opportunities
An effective network of commercial intercommunity passenger bus or rail transportation services between major centres in Northern Ontario can provide a good foundation for community-based transportation services to build on and connect into. Based on Strategy development consultation findings, in general, there also seems to be openness to increased coordination and partnerships to share and pool resources together in order to increase efficiencies and deliver improved intra- and inter-community-based transportation services. One challenge that would need to be addressed is the fact that many organizations providing community transportation services compete with each other for funding, have differing mandates, and serve different but overlapping markets or groups such as seniors or health-care trips. There is an opportunity to strengthen, promote and facilitate the sharing and exchange of experiences, ideas, best practices and information on community transportation services and models in Ontario. The recently launched Ontario Community Transportation Network provides the opportunity to enhance community transportation services in Ontario by connecting individuals, organizations, and transportation service providers through its website, newsletters, blogs and discussion forums, webinars, events and other networking activities. The Network was developed by the Rural Ontario Institute and the Ontario Healthy Communities Coalition with funding support from MTO. The Network is open to all community transportation stakeholders and the general public. There is no charge to join. There is an also increased interest in leveraging shared mobility technologies and models to advance on-demand or ridesharing coordinating platforms to benefit communities in the North, and especially more rural and lower-density communities. There are some examples of ridesharing coordinating platforms that are being utilized and expanding in Southern Ontario (i.e., OpenRide1), which may be applicable to community based transportation service delivery in Northern Ontario.
1 https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2016/08/21/inter-city-ride-sharing-company-targets-the- gta.html
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References
Malone Given Parsons Ltd. (2007). Algoma Central Railway: Wilderness Tourism by Rail Opportunity Study. Retrieved August 24, 2016 from
Ontario Ministry of Transportation. (2016). Intercity Bus Modernization: Creating Opportunities and Connecting Ontario Communities. Retrieved August 24, 2016 from
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Alternate Text for Exhibits
Exhibit 1.1: Passenger Rail Services in Northern Ontario This map shows passenger rail services in Northern Ontario by line and operator. The operators and lines are VIA Rail (Toronto to Winnipeg), VIA Rail (Sudbury to White River), and Ontario Northland (Moosonee to Cochrane). The map also shows the days of operation of each service, in addition to major stops and flag stops. Roads are also included and are classified as primary, secondary, secondary local, or major out of province. Return to Exhibit 1.1
Exhibit 1.2: Scheduled Intercommunity Bus Services in Northern Ontario This map shows the intercity bus services in Northern Ontario being run by Autobus Maheux, Caribou Coach, Greyhound, Kasper, and Ontario Northland. The map shows routes differentiated by trip frequency, as well as stop locations. Return to Exhibit 1.2 Exhibit 1.4: Scheduled Air Passenger Services in Northern Ontario
This map depicts all of the scheduled passenger air services in Northern Ontario. Airports in Northern are distinguished as remote, municipal, or international. Airlines are distinguished as international, regional, or international seasonal. The international airlines are Air Canada, Porter, and WestJet. The Regional airlines are Air Creebec, Bearskin, Nakina Air, North Star Air, Perimeter Aviation, Slate Falls Airways, Thunder Airlines and Wasaya. The international seasonal airlines are Air Transat and Sunwing. Roads are also included and are classified as primary, secondary, secondary local, or major out of province.
Return to Exhibit 1.4 Exhibit 2.1: Indicative Comparison of Energy Use per Passenger-Kilometre by Travel Mode This chart shows the comparative energy usage in BTU per passenger-kilometre by travel mode. High, average and low values are shown. Average values are as follows: Car - 1 Person, 1,417; Car - 2 Person 708; Domestic Air, 1,565; Intercity Rail 1,006; and Motorcoach 357. Return to Exhibit 2.1
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Exhibit 2.2: Indicative Comparison of Carbon Dioxide-Equivalent Emissions per Passenger-Kilometre by Travel Mode This chart shows the comparative carbon dioxide emissions as grams per passenger-kilometre by travel mode. High, average and low values are shown. Average values are as follows: Car - 1 Person, 229; Car - 2 Person, 114; Domestic Air, 117; Intercity Rail, 91; and Motorcoach, 27. Return to Exhibit 2.2
Exhibit 3.1: Flows of Passenger Vehicles using the Northern Ontario Highway Network, 2011 and 2041 This map shows average daily passenger vehicle flows using the Northern Ontario highway network. Flows are differentiated as 2011 values less decreases to 2014, increases from 2011 to 2041, and decreases from 2011 to 2041. Return to Exhibit 3.1
Exhibit 3.2: Travel Grant Recipient Home Community/Municipality Locations, March 2014 to April 2015 This map of Northern Ontario indicates travel grant recipient home locations as graduated pie charts sized according to the number of recipients in each location. Patients, companions, and third parties are indicated as separate pie chart segments. Return to Exhibit 3.2
Exhibit 3.3: Travel Grant Recipient Service Locations, March 2014 to April 2015 This map of Northern Ontario shows travel grant recipient service locations as graduated pie charts sized according to the number of recipients in each location. Patients, companions, and third parties are indicated as separate pie chart segments. The largest service locations are Sudbury, Thunder Bay, Toronto, Winnipeg, Timmins, Sault Ste. Marie, North Bay, and Ottawa. Return to Exhibit 3.3
November 2016 65 IBI GROUP DRAFT TECHNICAL BACKGROUNDER: INTERCOMMUNITY PASSENGER TRANSPORTATION Prepared for the Ontario Ministry of Transportation and Ministry of Northern Development and Mines
Exhibit 3.6: Bus and Taxi Connections to Post-Secondary Institutions and Health Care Services This map shows hospitals, nursing stations, health centres, and post-secondary institutions within Northern Ontario, and intercity bus lines and taxi service ranges that can potentially be used to access these services where available. Taxi service ranges are based on a 50-km radius of the service provider. Return to Exhibit 3.6
Exhibit 4.1: VIA Rail Boardings by Station for “The Canadian” Transcontinental Line by Destination Zone, 2015 This chart shows annual VIA Rail boardings by Northern Ontario station for The Canadian train route. Boardings are also broken down into trips destined to Northern Ontario, to Southern Ontario, and to Western Canada. The busiest stations are Sudbury Junction, Sioux Lookout, Hornepayne, and Armstrong. Return to Exhibit 4.1
Exhibit 4.2: VIA Rail Boardings by Station for “Northern Ontario” Line, 2015 This chart shows annual VIA Rail boardings and alightings by station for Northern Ontario train route. Sudbury is the busiest station for both boardings and alightings, with 1,852 boardings and 1,360 alightings. The next busiest station is White River, with approximately 700 boardings and 650 alightings, followed by Chapleau, Cartier and Biscotasing.
Return to Exhibit 4.2
Exhibit 4.3: VIA “The Canadian” Trips to/from Northern Ontario, 2009 – 2015 This chart shows total trips on VIA Rail's The Canadian train within Northern Ontario, to/from Southern Ontario, and to/from Western Canada annually from 2009 to 2015. There were approximately 16,000 trips in 2009 decreasing to 11,000 in 2015. The component of trips within Northern Ontario stayed relatively constant over that time, between 4,000 and 5,000 trips. Return to Exhibit 4.3
November 2016 66 IBI GROUP DRAFT TECHNICAL BACKGROUNDER: INTERCOMMUNITY PASSENGER TRANSPORTATION Prepared for the Ontario Ministry of Transportation and Ministry of Northern Development and Mines
Exhibit 4.4: VIA "Northern Ontario" Boardings, 2009 – 2015 This chart shows VIA Rail Northern Ontario train boardings annually from 2009 to 2015. There is a slight downward trend from 5,500 boardings in 2009 to 4,900 boardings in 2015. Return to Exhibit 4.4
Exhibit 5.3: Recent Scheduled Intercommunity Bus Service Reductions and Discontinuances This map of Northern Ontario shows current scheduled intercommunity bus services together with recent scheduled intercity bus service reductions and discontinuances by Greyhound, Kasper, Caribou Coach and Ontario Northland. Return to Exhibit 5.3
Exhibit 5.4:
This exhibit shows a full size Ontario Northland Motorcoach on a rural highway. Return to Exhibit 5.4
November 2016 67 IBI GROUP DRAFT TECHNICAL BACKGROUNDER: INTERCOMMUNITY PASSENGER TRANSPORTATION Prepared for the Ontario Ministry of Transportation and Ministry of Northern Development and Mines
Appendix A: List of Community Transportation Services
Northwestern Ontario
KENORA DISTRICT Lac Seul First Nation - Kejick Health Office - Medical Animbiigoo Zaagi'igan Bay Health Clinic - Medical Transportation Program Anishinaabek - Health Office Transportation Program Ochiichagwe'Babigo' Ining – Medical Transportation Machin (Municipality of) - Ojibway Nation - Band Office Program Transportation - Referral Clerk Anishinaabeg of McDowell Lake First Nation - Patricia Region Senior Naongashiing - Band Office - Band Office Services - Transportation Medical Transportation Métis Nation of Ontario - Rainy River District Home Program Northwest Métis Council - Support Program - Atikokan - Canada. First Nations and Long Term Care Transportation Program Inuit Health - Northern Mishkeegogamang First Red Lake Indian Friendship Ontario - Kenora - First Nation - Health Centre - Centre - Site 2 - Canada Nations and Inuit Health Medical Transportation Prenatal and Nutrition Office Program Program Canadian Red Cross Society Mishkeegogamang First Sachigo Lake First Nation - - Kenora and District - Dryden Nation - Health Centre - Isaac Barkman Memorial - Seniors Transportation Travel Clerk Nursing Station - Medical Program Ne Chee Friendship Centre - Transportation Program Cat Lake First Nation - Kenora - Railway St - Life Shoal Lake 40 First Nation - Margaret Gray Nursing Long Care Program Shoal Lake Medical Centre - Station - Medical Neskantaga First Nation - Medical Transportation Transportation Program Band Office - Medical Program Deer Lake First Nation - Transportation Program Nursing Station - Medical Nibinamik First Nation - Transportation Program Nursing Station - Medical District of Kenora Home for Transportation Program the Aged - Kenora - Pinecrest Nishnawbe Gamik Friendship Home - Transportation Centre - Life Long Care District of Kenora Home for Program the Aged - Red Lake Branch - North Caribou Lake First Transportation Nation - Sena Memorial Dryden Handi Transit - Nursing Station - Travel Transportation Services Clerk Dryden Native Friendship North Spirit Lake First Nation Centre - Community - Stanley Rae Memorial Connections Program Health Station - Medical Dryden Native Friendship Transportation Program Centre - Life Long Care Northwest Angle 33 First Program Nation - Main Band Office - Eabametoong First Nation - Angle Inlet - Medical Health Centre - Medical Transportation Program Transportation Program Northwest Angle 37 First Kenora Handi Transit Nation - Windigo Island
November 2016 A.1 IBI GROUP DRAFT TECHNICAL BACKGROUNDER: INTERCOMMUNITY PASSENGER TRANSPORTATION Prepared for the Ontario Ministry of Transportation and Ministry of Northern Development and Mines
KENORA (continued) Rainy River District Home Whitesand First Nation – Sioux Lookout First Nations Support Program - Fort Medical Transportation Health Authority - Sioux Frances - Transportation Program Lookout - Meno Ya Win Way - Program Wilson Memorial General Transportation Services Rainy River First Nation - Hospital - Seniors' Services Sioux Lookout Handi Transit Band Office - Medical Van Slate Falls Nation - Band Transportation Program Office - Medical Seine River First Nation - THUNDER BAY CITY Transportation Program Band Office - Long Term Canadian Cancer Society - Wabaseemoong Independent Care Program Northwestern Region - Nations - Health Centre - Seine River First Nation - Thunder Bay Medical Transportation Band Office - Medical Driving Miss Daisy - Program Transportation Program Transportation Services Wabauskang First Nation - Elevate NWO Wabauskang Health Office - THUNDER BAY DISTRICT Evi's New Quality Home Medical Transportation Aroland First Nation - Aroland Care Program Health Centre - Medical Fort William First Nation - Fort Wapekeka First Nation - Transportation Program William First Nation Health Nursing Station - Medical Biinjitiwaabik Zaaging Centre - Medical Transportation Program Anishinaabek - Rocky Bay Transportation Program Wauzhushk Onigum Nation - First Nation Health Station - Superior Elder Care Band Office - Medical Medical Transportation Thunder Bay (City of). Transportation Program Program Municipal Services - Lift Plus Webequie First Nation - Canada. First Nations and Thunder Bay Indian Nursing Station - Medical Inuit Health - Northern Friendship Centre - Aboriginal Transportation Program Ontario - Geraldton - First Life Long Care Program Nations and Inuit Health RAINY RIVER DISTRICT Office Atikokan Native Friendship Ginoogaming First Nation - Centre - Life Long Care New Ginoogaming Health Program Centre - Medical First Nations and Inuit Health Transportation Program - Northern Ontario - Fort Matawa First Nations Frances - First Nations and Management - Health and Inuit Health Office Social Services Couchiching First Nation - Long Lake 58 First Nation - Fort Frances - 201 Frog Longlac - 209B Otter Rd - Creek Rd - Medical Medical Transportation Transportation Program Program Lac La Croix First Nation - Ojibways of the Pic River First Health Centre - Medical Nation - Pic River First Nation Transportation Program Health Centre - Medical Métis Nation of Ontario - Transportation Program Sunset Country Métis Council Pays Plat First Nation - Pays - Long Term Care Plat Health Centre Mitaanjigamiing First Nation - Pays Plat First Nation - Pays Band Office - Medical Plat Health Centre - Medical Transportation Program Transportation Program Naicatchewenin First Nation - Red Rock Indian Band – Band Office - Medical Medical Transportation Transportation Program Program Nigigoonsiminikaaning First Thunderbird Friendship Nation - Health Office - Centre - Aboriginal Life Long Medical Transportation Care Program Program Upsala Volunteer Ambulance Services Association
November 2016 A.2 IBI GROUP DRAFT TECHNICAL BACKGROUNDER: INTERCOMMUNITY PASSENGER TRANSPORTATION Prepared for the Ontario Ministry of Transportation and Ministry of Northern Development and Mines
Northeastern Ontario
COCHRANE DISTRICT Canadian Cancer Society - Services for Victims - Victim Canadian Red Cross - Wawa Timmins Unit – Services Program - Hearst Office - Community Health Transportation Services de Counselling and Wellness - Rides and Canadian Red Cross - Hearst, Kapuskasing, Smooth Transportation Cochrane Office - Community Rock Falls Counselling Dr H S Trefry Memorial Health and Wellness - Rides Services - Programs and Centre (The) - Richards and Transportation Services for Victims - Victim Landing - Transportation Canadian Red Cross - Hearst Services Program - Garden River First Nation - Branch - Community Health Kapuskasing Naan Doo We'an - Wellness and Wellness - Rides and Smooth Rock Falls Hospital - Centre - Life Long Care Transportation Aging At Home - Program - Transportation Canadian Red Cross - Transportation Services Kapuskasing Branch - Taykwa Tagamou First Garden River First Nation - Community Health and Nation - Health Centre - Naan Doo We'an - Wellness Wellness - Rides and Medical Transportation Centre - Medical Transportation Program Transportation Services Canadian Red Cross - Timmins Native Friendship Hornepayne Community Moosonee Office - Centre - Life Long Care Hospital - Transportation Community Health and Program (LLCP) Huron Lodge - Elliot Lake - Wellness - Rides and Timmins Native Friendship Community Support Services Transportation Centre - Moosonee - First St - - Volunteer Transportation Canadian Red Cross - Life Long Care Program Huron Lodge - Elliot Lake - Timmins Branch - Community (LLCP) Specialized Transit Health and Wellness - Wahgoshig First Nation - Indian Friendship Centre of Scheduling Transportation Matheson - Health Clinic - Sault Ste Marie (The) - Life Centre de santé Medical Transportation Long Care Program - Medical communautaire de Program Transportation Kapuskasing et région - Aging Weeneebayko Area Health Mississauga First Nation - at Home - Transportation and Authority - Non-Insured Blind River - Health Centre - Grocery Aid Program Health Benefits Program Medical Transportation Golden Manor Home for the (NIHB) Serpent River First Nation - Aged - Timmins - Community Cutler - Geka Wigwam Home Support Services - ALGOMA DISTRICT Seniors Lodge - Home and Volunteer Transportation Algoma Public Health - Sault Community Care Program - Service College - Health Support and Transportation Ininew Friendship Centre - First Aid Centre Wawa Consumer Initiative, Cochrane - Life Long Care Blind River District Health Iris Place Program - Medical Centre - Community Support Transportation Services - Generic TIMISKAMING DISTRICT Metis Nation of Ontario - Transportation Matachewan First Nation - Timmins - Community Canadian Cancer Society - Health Services - Medical Support Services Program Algoma Community Office Transportation Program Moose Cree First Nation - Canadian Red Cross - Sault Timiskaming Home Support - Medical Transportation Ste Marie and District Branch Haileybury - Transportation Services de Counselling - Community Support Timiskaming Home Support - Hearst, Kapuskasing, Smooth Services - Rides and Kirkland Lake - Rock Falls Counselling Transportation Transportation Services - Programs and
November 2016 A.3 IBI GROUP DRAFT TECHNICAL BACKGROUNDER: INTERCOMMUNITY PASSENGER TRANSPORTATION Prepared for the Ontario Ministry of Transportation and Ministry of Northern Development and Mines
NIPISSING DISTRICT For Seniors Only Inc - Wahnapitae First Nation - Canadian Red Cross - North Sudbury Community Support Services Bay - Community Support M'Chigeeng First Nation - - Transportation Services - Seniors' Wellness Centre - Long-Term Wahnapitae First Nation - Transportation Care Program - Home and Community Care - Community Counselling Transportation Services Transportation Centre of Nipissing - Mattagami First Nation - Wahnapitae First Nation - Counselling for Women Health Centre - Medical Medical Transportation Nipissing First Nation - Health Transportation Program Program Services - Lawrence N'Swakamok Native Wikwemikong Health Centre - Commanda Health Centre - Friendship Centre - Sudbury - Amikook Seniors' Centre - Local Medical Transportation Life Long Care Program - Generic Transportation Senior's Helping Hands Transportation Wikwemikong Health Centre - Services - Sturgeon Falls - N'Swakamok Native Medical Transportation Errands and Transportation Friendship Centre - Sudbury - Services Translation Program and PARRY SOUND DISTRICT Temagami First Nation - Healing and Wellness Eastholme Home for the Doreen Potts Health Centre - Program Aged - Powassan - East Medical Transportation Noojmowin Teg Health Parry Sound Community Centre - Aging at Home Support Services Program - MANITOULIN/SUDBURY Transportation Volunteer Transportation and DISTRICT Sagamok Anishnawbek First Wheelchair Accessible Van - Aboriginal Peoples' Alliance Nation - Massey - Community Burk's Falls of Northern Ontario (APANO) Wellness Department Eastholme Home for the - Chapleau Services de santé de Aged - Powassan - East Atikameksheng Anishnawbek Chapleau Health Services - Parry Sound Community - Naughton - Shawenekezhik Chapleau General Hospital - Support Services Program - Health Centre - Patient Transportation Volunteer Transportation and Transportation Program Services de santé de Wheelchair Accessible Van - Aundeck Omni Kaning First Chapleau Health Services - Powassan Nation - Little Current - Senior Transportation Van Henvey Inlet First Nation - Naandwehgiigamik Sheguiandah First Nation - Health Centre - Medical Van Community Health Centre - Health Centre - Medical Magnetawan First Nation - Medical Transportation Transportation Program Health Centre - Community Program Sheshegwaning First Nation - Support Services - Medical Brunswick House First Nation Health Centre - Medical Transportation - Chapleau - Health Centre - Transportation Program Royal Canadian Legion - Medical Transportation Sudbury-East Seniors Branch 415 - Northern Services Support - Noelville - Memorial Brunswick House First Nation Transportation Services Serenity Seniors Residence - - Chapleau - Health Centre - Universal Home Care Parry Sound Transportation Services (Medical/Non-Medical Shawanaga First Nation - Canadian Cancer Society - Rehabilitation and Home Nobel - Healing Centre - Sudbury and District Unit - Maintenance Services) - Medical Transportation Transportation Greater Sudbury - Non Wasauksing First Nation - Canadian Red Cross - Medical Services Parry Sound - Health and Sudbury Branch - Community VON Victorian Order of Social Services – Support Services - Seniors’ Nurses - North East District - Transportation Transportation Espanola Site - West Parry Sound Chapleau Cree First Nation - Transportation Community Support Health Centre - In-Home and VON Victorian Order of Services - Volunteer Community Support Services Nurses - North East District - Transportation - Transportation Mindemoya Site - Circle of Care - Sudbury Transportation
November 2016 A.4