Kenora—Rainy River NDP MPP Howard Hampton continued to press the McGuinty Liberals today for action to ensure Northwestern Ontario continue to receive adequate bus service.

“Greyhound says it will shut down bus services in Northwestern Ontario on December 2, leaving literally hundreds of communities and First Nations without transportation services,” said Hampton.

“The government of Manitoba last week met with Greyhound and worked out an agreement so that bus services will continue in rural Manitoba. Why hasn’t the McGuinty government met with Greyhound to discuss maintaining bus services in Northwestern Ontario?” he asked during today’s Question Period.

Transportation Minister Jim Bradley answered by saying he expects other private carriers to fill the void should Greyhound abandon the region. But as Hampton pointed out, that might not necessarily provide the kind of service that’s needed.

“The minister needs to take a closer look at what is happening because, in fact, over the last six years under the McGuinty government, communities have lost frequency of bus service and some communities have lost bus service altogether. So saying that someone else is going to come in and do the job hasn’t been working,” he said.

Hampton also challenged the McGuinty government to provide the same kind of transportation funding it provides elsewhere in the province.

“I want to remind the minister that the Ontario government is the principal operator already of two bus services in the province. This government gave GO Transit $35-million last year to provide bus services for people to move from municipalities outside Toronto into Toronto. You gave Ontario Northland $25-million to ensure that there were bus services and some train service in Northeastern Ontario,” he said.

“How do you then tell the people of Northwestern Ontario, ‘You’re on your own’ and ‘Oh, we hope that somebody else comes along to pick up some kind of service.’ How do you justify that differential of attitude?”