intercommunity passenger transportation · 2016. 11. 17. · intercommunity passenger...

DRAFT TECHNICAL BACKGROUNDER Northern Ontario Multimodal Transportation Strategy

Intercommunity Passenger Transportation

Consulting Team: IBI Group | Hemson Consulting Ltd. November 2016

Prepared for the Ontario Ministry of Transportation and Ministry of Northern Development and Mines

IBI GROUP DRAFT TECHNICAL BACKGROUNDER: INTERCOMMUNITY PASSENGER TRANSPORTATION Prepared for the Ontario Ministry of Transportation and Ministry of Northern Development and Mines

November 2016

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].

mailto:[email protected]


Table of Contents

November 2016 i

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


Table of Contents (continued)

November 2016 ii

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


7.4 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


Issues ................................................................................................. 57

Opportunities ...................................................................................... 60

8.4 Community Transportation Services ............................................... 61

Issues ................................................................................................. 61

Opportunities ...................................................................................... 62



November 2016 iii

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



November 2016 iv

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


November 2016 5

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.


November 2016 6

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.


November 2016 7

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


November 2016 8

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.


November 2016 9

Exhibit 1.3: Summary of Scheduled Commercial Intercommunity Bus Service Characteristics in Northern Ontario

Service

Approx. Adult Fare, Full Trip

Frequency per Direction Route Operation Notes Fare Notes

Greyhound Canada

Sudbury-Winnipeg $240 1/day Hwy 17 Reservation-based system Senior, student and child fares Discounts: advance-purchase,

web, group rates Refundable fares Other adult fares:

$250 Toronto-Winnipeg $250 Ottawa-Winnipeg

Toronto-Sudbury $80 9/week Hwy 400, Hwy 69

Two trips on Fri/Sun; no local stops

Ottawa-Sudbury $80 1/day Hwy 17

Ontario Northland

Toronto-North Bay $80 4/day Hwy 11 One express trip, extra express trips on Fri/Sun

Reservation-based system Senior, student and child fares Discounts: advance-purchase,

group, military, family and medical rates

Refundable fares Other adult fares:

$140 Toronto-Timmins $200 Toronto-Hearst

North Bay-Matheson $70 2/day Hwy 11

Matheson-Cochrane $20 1/day Hwy 11

Matheson-Timmins $15 3/day Hwy 101

Toronto-Sudbury $80 3/day Hwy 400, Hwy

69 One express trip

Sudbury-Timmins $60 1/day Hwy 144, Hwy

101

Timmins-Cochrane $20 2/day Hwy 655 No local stops

Cochrane-Kapuskasing

$25 1/day Hwy 11

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-Noranda

$65 1/day Hwy 63, QC 101 Fixed-price fares Discounts: return trips $130

Continued on next page.


November 2016 10

Exhibit 1.3: Summary of Scheduled Commercial Intercommunity Bus Service Characteristics in Northern Ontario

(continued)

Service

Approx. Adult Fare, Full Trip

Frequency per Direction Route Operation Notes Fare Notes

Caribou Coach Lines

Thunder Bay-Fort Frances

$65 3/week Hwy 11 Tue/Fri/Sun Fixed-price fares Senior, student and child fares Discounts: advance-purchase,

group, military, family and medical rates

Thunder Bay-Longlac (“Temporarily suspended” as of August 17, 2016)

$60 5/week Hwy 11 East: Sun/Tue/Wed/Thu/Fri West: Mon/Wed/Thu/Fri/Sat

Kasper

Thunder Bay-Sioux Lookout

$75 5/week Hwy 17, Hwy 72 Mon-Fri Fixed-price fares Discounts: return trips $130

Thunder Bay – Longlac

$65 5/week Hwy 11 Mon-Fri Fixed-price fares

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, Sun

Fixed-price fares

Note: Schedules can change on a regular basis.


November 2016 11

Exhibit 1.4: Scheduled Air Passenger Services in Northern Ontario

Note: Services are current as of October 2016


November 2016 12

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


November 2016 13

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


November 2016 14

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.


November 2016 15

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).


November 2016 16

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


November 2016 17

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.


November 2016 18

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.


November 2016 19

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.


November 2016 20

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


November 2016 21

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.


November 2016 22

Exhibit 3.1: Flows of Passenger Vehicles using the Northern Ontario Highway Network, 2011 and 2041


November 2016 23

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


November 2016 24

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 25

Exhibit 3.2: Travel Grant Recipient Home Community/Municipality Locations, March 2014 to April 2015


November 2016 26

Exhibit 3.3: Travel Grant Recipient Service Locations, March 2014 to April 2015


November 2016 27

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 Ke

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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


November 2016 28

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 Ke

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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


November 2016 29

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.


November 2016 30

Exhibit 3.6: Bus and Taxi Connections to Post-Secondary Institutions and Health Care Services


November 2016 31

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


November 2016 32

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.


November 2016 33

Exhibit 4.1: VIA Rail Boardings by Station for “The Canadian” Transcontinental Line by Destination Zone, 2015

Source: IBI Analysis of VIA Rail Data


November 2016 34

Exhibit 4.2: VIA Rail Boardings by Station for “Northern Ontario” Line, 2015

Source: IBI Analysis of VIA Rail Data


November 2016 35

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


November 2016 36

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.


November 2016 37

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


November 2016 38

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.


November 2016 39

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.


November 2016 40

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.


November 2016 41

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


November 2016 42

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.


November 2016 43

Exhibit 5.2: Northern Ontario Bus Service Levels, 2000 and 2016

Service Routing

Year 2000 Service Frequency

Year 2016 Service 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

(“temporarily suspended” as of August 2017)

Hwy 11 - 5/week

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


November 2016 44

Exhibit 5.3: Recent Scheduled Intercommunity Bus Service Reductions and Discontinuances


November 2016 45

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.


November 2016 46

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.


November 2016 47

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.


November 2016 48

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;


November 2016 49

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.


November 2016 50

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.


November 2016 51

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


November 2016 52

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.


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.


November 2016 53

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.


November 2016 54

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.


November 2016 55

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.


November 2016 56

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.


November 2016 57


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


November 2016 58

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.


November 2016 59

Exhibit 8.1: Communities by Select Highway Corridor without Scheduled Intercommunity Bus Service

Highway Corridor

First Nations Municipalities/ Townships

Total Population (2011)

Northwestern Ontario

71 Rainy River (444) Ojibways of Onigaming (467) Naotkamegowanning (753) Animakee Wa Zhing #37 (217)

Chapple (741) Sioux Narrows (720)

2,942

105 Wabuskang First Nation (135) Red Lake (4,366) Ear Falls (1,026)

5,527

527 Gull Bay (371) Whitesand (354)

Armstrong (1,216) 1,941

584 - Greenstone (4,724) 4,724

599 Ojibway Nation of Saugeen (83) Mishkeegogamang (1,062)

Pickle Lake (425) 1,570

Total 9 total 7 total 18,809

Northeastern Ontario

6 Aundek Onmi Kaning (495) Sheguiandah (155) Wikwemikong (2,520) Whitefish River (485)

Assigninack (960) Central Manitoulin (1,958) Tehkummah (406) Northeastern Manitoulin and

the Islands (2,706)

9,685

101 Brunswick House (207) Chapleau Ojibway Cree (30) Chapleau Cree First Nation (59)

Chapleau (2,116) 2,412

614 Ojibway Nation of Saugeen (83) Mishkeegogamang (1,062)

Pickle Lake (425) 1,570

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.


November 2016 60

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.


November 2016 61

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.


November 2016 62

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


November 2016 63

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https://www.viarail.ca/sites/all/files/media/pdfs/About_VIA/our-company/annual-reports/2014/VIA%20Rail_2014%20Annual%20Report_EN.pdf

http://www.viarail.ca/sites/all/files/media/pdfs/About_VIA/our-company/annual-reports/2015/ViaRail_AnnualReport_2015_EN.pdf

http://www.viarail.ca/sites/all/files/media/pdfs/About_VIA/our-company/annual-reports/2015/ViaRail_AnnualReport_2015_EN.pdf


November 2016 64

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.


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.


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.



November 2016 65

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.


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.


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.


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.



November 2016 66

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.


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.


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.


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.



November 2016 67

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.


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.


Exhibit 5.4:

This exhibit shows a full size Ontario Northland Motorcoach on a rural highway.



November 2016 A.1

Appendix A: List of Community Transportation Services

Northwestern Ontario

KENORA DISTRICT

Animbiigoo Zaagi'igan Anishinaabek - Health Office – Medical Transportation Program

Anishinaabeg of Naongashiing - Band Office - Medical Transportation Program

Canada. First Nations and Inuit Health - Northern Ontario - Kenora - First Nations and Inuit Health Office

Canadian Red Cross Society - Kenora and District - Dryden - Seniors Transportation Program

Cat Lake First Nation - Margaret Gray Nursing Station - Medical Transportation Program

Deer Lake First Nation - Nursing Station - Medical Transportation Program

District of Kenora Home for the Aged - Kenora - Pinecrest Home - Transportation

District of Kenora Home for the Aged - Red Lake Branch - Transportation

Dryden Handi Transit - Transportation Services

Dryden Native Friendship Centre - Community Connections Program

Dryden Native Friendship Centre - Life Long Care Program

Eabametoong First Nation - Health Centre - Medical Transportation Program

Kenora Handi Transit

Lac Seul First Nation - Kejick Bay Health Clinic - Medical Transportation Program

Machin (Municipality of) - Transportation

McDowell Lake First Nation - Band Office

Métis Nation of Ontario - Northwest Métis Council - Long Term Care

Mishkeegogamang First Nation - Health Centre - Medical Transportation Program

Mishkeegogamang First Nation - Health Centre - Travel Clerk

Ne Chee Friendship Centre - Kenora - Railway St - Life Long Care Program

Neskantaga First Nation - Band Office - Medical Transportation Program

Nibinamik First Nation - Nursing Station - Medical Transportation Program

Nishnawbe Gamik Friendship Centre - Life Long Care Program

North Caribou Lake First Nation - Sena Memorial Nursing Station - Travel Clerk

North Spirit Lake First Nation - Stanley Rae Memorial Health Station - Medical Transportation Program

Northwest Angle 33 First Nation - Main Band Office - Angle Inlet - Medical Transportation Program

Northwest Angle 37 First Nation - Windigo Island

Health Office - Medical Transportation Program

Ochiichagwe'Babigo' Ining Ojibway Nation - Band Office - Referral Clerk

Patricia Region Senior Services - Transportation

Rainy River District Home Support Program - Atikokan - Transportation Program

Red Lake Indian Friendship Centre - Site 2 - Canada Prenatal and Nutrition Program

Sachigo Lake First Nation - Isaac Barkman Memorial Nursing Station - Medical Transportation Program

Shoal Lake 40 First Nation - Shoal Lake Medical Centre - Medical Transportation Program


November 2016 A.2

KENORA (continued)

Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority - Sioux Lookout - Meno Ya Win Way - Transportation Services

Sioux Lookout Handi Transit

Slate Falls Nation - Band Office - Medical Transportation Program

Wabaseemoong Independent Nations - Health Centre - Medical Transportation Program

Wabauskang First Nation - Wabauskang Health Office - Medical Transportation Program

Wapekeka First Nation - Nursing Station - Medical Transportation Program

Wauzhushk Onigum Nation - Band Office - Medical Transportation Program

Webequie First Nation - Nursing Station - Medical Transportation Program

RAINY RIVER DISTRICT

Atikokan Native Friendship Centre - Life Long Care Program

First Nations and Inuit Health - Northern Ontario - Fort Frances - First Nations and Inuit Health Office

Couchiching First Nation - Fort Frances - 201 Frog Creek Rd - Medical Transportation Program

Lac La Croix First Nation - Health Centre - Medical Transportation Program

Métis Nation of Ontario - Sunset Country Métis Council - Long Term Care

Mitaanjigamiing First Nation - Band Office - Medical Transportation Program

Naicatchewenin First Nation - Band Office - Medical Transportation Program

Nigigoonsiminikaaning First Nation - Health Office - Medical Transportation Program

Rainy River District Home Support Program - Fort Frances - Transportation Program

Rainy River First Nation - Band Office - Medical Transportation Program

Seine River First Nation - Band Office - Long Term Care Program

Seine River First Nation - Band Office - Medical Transportation Program

THUNDER BAY DISTRICT

Aroland First Nation - Aroland Health Centre - Medical Transportation Program

Biinjitiwaabik Zaaging Anishinaabek - Rocky Bay First Nation Health Station - Medical Transportation Program

Canada. First Nations and Inuit Health - Northern Ontario - Geraldton - First Nations and Inuit Health Office

Ginoogaming First Nation - New Ginoogaming Health Centre - Medical Transportation Program

Matawa First Nations Management - Health and Social Services

Long Lake 58 First Nation - Longlac - 209B Otter Rd - Medical Transportation Program

Ojibways of the Pic River First Nation - Pic River First Nation Health Centre - Medical Transportation Program

Pays Plat First Nation - Pays Plat Health Centre

Pays Plat First Nation - Pays Plat Health Centre - Medical Transportation Program

Red Rock Indian Band – Medical Transportation Program

Thunderbird Friendship Centre - Aboriginal Life Long Care Program

Upsala Volunteer Ambulance Services Association

Whitesand First Nation – Medical Transportation Program

Wilson Memorial General Hospital - Seniors' Services Van

THUNDER BAY CITY

Canadian Cancer Society - Northwestern Region - Thunder Bay

Driving Miss Daisy - Transportation Services

Elevate NWO

Evi's New Quality Home Care

Fort William First Nation - Fort William First Nation Health Centre - Medical Transportation Program

Superior Elder Care

Thunder Bay (City of). Municipal Services - Lift Plus

Thunder Bay Indian Friendship Centre - Aboriginal Life Long Care Program


November 2016 A.3

Northeastern Ontario

COCHRANE DISTRICT

Canadian Cancer Society - Timmins Unit – Transportation

Canadian Red Cross - Cochrane Office - Community Health and Wellness - Rides and Transportation

Canadian Red Cross - Hearst Branch - Community Health and Wellness - Rides and Transportation

Canadian Red Cross - Kapuskasing Branch - Community Health and Wellness - Rides and Transportation

Canadian Red Cross - Moosonee Office - Community Health and Wellness - Rides and Transportation

Canadian Red Cross - Timmins Branch - Community Health and Wellness - Scheduling Transportation

Centre de santé communautaire de Kapuskasing et région - Aging at Home - Transportation and Grocery Aid Program

Golden Manor Home for the Aged - Timmins - Community Home Support Services - Volunteer Transportation Service

Ininew Friendship Centre - Cochrane - Life Long Care Program - Medical Transportation

Metis Nation of Ontario - Timmins - Community Support Services Program

Moose Cree First Nation - Medical Transportation

Services de Counselling Hearst, Kapuskasing, Smooth Rock Falls Counselling Services - Programs and

Services for Victims - Victim Services Program - Hearst

Services de Counselling Hearst, Kapuskasing, Smooth Rock Falls Counselling Services - Programs and Services for Victims - Victim Services Program - Kapuskasing

Smooth Rock Falls Hospital - Aging At Home - Transportation

Taykwa Tagamou First Nation - Health Centre - Medical Transportation Program

Timmins Native Friendship Centre - Life Long Care Program (LLCP)

Timmins Native Friendship Centre - Moosonee - First St - Life Long Care Program (LLCP)

Wahgoshig First Nation - Matheson - Health Clinic - Medical Transportation Program

Weeneebayko Area Health Authority - Non-Insured Health Benefits Program (NIHB)

ALGOMA DISTRICT

Algoma Public Health - Sault College - Health Support and First Aid Centre

Blind River District Health Centre - Community Support Services - Generic Transportation

Canadian Cancer Society - Algoma Community Office

Canadian Red Cross - Sault Ste Marie and District Branch - Community Support Services - Rides and Transportation

Canadian Red Cross - Wawa Office - Community Health and Wellness - Rides and Transportation

Dr H S Trefry Memorial Centre (The) - Richards Landing - Transportation

Garden River First Nation - Naan Doo We'an - Wellness Centre - Life Long Care Program - Transportation Services

Garden River First Nation - Naan Doo We'an - Wellness Centre - Medical Transportation Services

Hornepayne Community Hospital - Transportation

Huron Lodge - Elliot Lake - Community Support Services - Volunteer Transportation

Huron Lodge - Elliot Lake - Specialized Transit

Indian Friendship Centre of Sault Ste Marie (The) - Life Long Care Program - Medical Transportation

Mississauga First Nation - Blind River - Health Centre - Medical Transportation

Serpent River First Nation - Cutler - Geka Wigwam Seniors Lodge - Home and Community Care Program - Transportation

Wawa Consumer Initiative, Iris Place

TIMISKAMING DISTRICT

Matachewan First Nation - Health Services - Medical Transportation Program

Timiskaming Home Support - Haileybury - Transportation

Timiskaming Home Support - Kirkland Lake - Transportation


November 2016 A.4

NIPISSING DISTRICT

Canadian Red Cross - North Bay - Community Support Services - Seniors' Transportation

Community Counselling Centre of Nipissing - Counselling for Women

Nipissing First Nation - Health Services - Lawrence Commanda Health Centre - Local Medical Transportation

Senior's Helping Hands Services - Sturgeon Falls - Errands and Transportation Services

Temagami First Nation - Doreen Potts Health Centre - Medical Transportation

MANITOULIN/SUDBURY DISTRICT

Aboriginal Peoples' Alliance of Northern Ontario (APANO) - Chapleau

Atikameksheng Anishnawbek - Naughton - Shawenekezhik Health Centre - Patient Transportation Program

Aundeck Omni Kaning First Nation - Little Current - Naandwehgiigamik Community Health Centre - Medical Transportation Program

Brunswick House First Nation - Chapleau - Health Centre - Medical Transportation Services

Brunswick House First Nation - Chapleau - Health Centre - Transportation Services

Canadian Cancer Society - Sudbury and District Unit - Transportation

Canadian Red Cross - Sudbury Branch - Community Support Services - Seniors’ Transportation

Chapleau Cree First Nation - Health Centre - In-Home and Community Support Services - Transportation

Circle of Care - Sudbury

For Seniors Only Inc - Sudbury

M'Chigeeng First Nation - Wellness Centre - Long-Term Care Program - Transportation Services

Mattagami First Nation - Health Centre - Medical Transportation Program

N'Swakamok Native Friendship Centre - Sudbury - Life Long Care Program - Transportation

N'Swakamok Native Friendship Centre - Sudbury - Translation Program and Healing and Wellness Program

Noojmowin Teg Health Centre - Aging at Home Transportation

Sagamok Anishnawbek First Nation - Massey - Community Wellness Department

Services de santé de Chapleau Health Services - Chapleau General Hospital - Transportation

Services de santé de Chapleau Health Services - Senior Transportation Van

Sheguiandah First Nation - Health Centre - Medical Transportation Program

Sheshegwaning First Nation - Health Centre - Medical Transportation Program

Sudbury-East Seniors Support - Noelville - Transportation Services

Universal Home Care (Medical/Non-Medical Rehabilitation and Home Maintenance Services) - Greater Sudbury - Non Medical Services

VON Victorian Order of Nurses - North East District - Espanola Site - Transportation

VON Victorian Order of Nurses - North East District - Mindemoya Site - Transportation

Wahnapitae First Nation - Community Support Services - Transportation

Wahnapitae First Nation - Home and Community Care - Transportation

Wahnapitae First Nation - Medical Transportation Program

Wikwemikong Health Centre - Amikook Seniors' Centre - Generic Transportation

Wikwemikong Health Centre - Medical Transportation

PARRY SOUND DISTRICT

Eastholme Home for the Aged - Powassan - East Parry Sound Community Support Services Program - Volunteer Transportation and Wheelchair Accessible Van - Burk's Falls

Eastholme Home for the Aged - Powassan - East Parry Sound Community Support Services Program - Volunteer Transportation and Wheelchair Accessible Van - Powassan

Henvey Inlet First Nation - Health Centre - Medical Van

Magnetawan First Nation - Health Centre - Community Support Services - Medical Transportation

Royal Canadian Legion - Branch 415 - Northern Memorial

Serenity Seniors Residence - Parry Sound

Shawanaga First Nation - Nobel - Healing Centre - Medical Transportation

Wasauksing First Nation - Parry Sound - Health and Social Services – Transportation

West Parry Sound Community Support

Services - Volunteer Transportation

intercommunity passenger transportation · 2016. 11. 17. · intercommunity passenger...

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