Free transit in Whitehorse will cost more than gov't planned, says Yukon Party

The Yukon Party says if the governing Liberals are going to fulfil their commitment to make Whitehorse transit free, they should provide enough money to do so.

And party leader Currie Dixon says it will take more than the $1.5 million committed by the government to replace revenue from fares.

Dixon said he doesn't want to see the City of Whitehorse short-changed by an idea imposed on them by the territorial government. 

"This is not something that the City of Whitehorse asked for. This is something that the Liberal government is imposing on them vis-a-vis the CASA," Dixon told reporters Tuesday, referring to the Confidence and Supply Agreement the Liberal government renewed with the NDP in January in order to guarantee support for their minority government. 

"And I think for them to now shortchange them or nickel and dime them on the amount of funding is a bit of an unfair approach from the government."

City council voted Monday in favour of a motion that would ask the territory to cover the cost of free transit until July. The immediate goal is to limit traffic trying to get into the city's downtown while Robert Service Way — one of two key roads into the downtown — is closed due to landslides. The city did something similar last year after a separate landslide also closed Robert Service Way. 

The city has yet to indicate publicly whether it will go ahead with making all transit free in the future. 

There is a debate over whether free transit is good for cities. Some argue it grows ridership, which is good for the system overall. Others argue that growing ridership comes from investing in new routes and higher frequency service that bring more people into the system.

Community Services Minister Richard Mostyn said the government has pledged $1.5 million to replace revenues from fares. He also said they've formed a working group with the NDP and the city to talk about implementation, and that's where he'd like to hear whether the city will accept the territory's offer. 

"I haven't got any formal information from the City of Whitehorse at this time," Mostyn said. "And I don't know what they're asking for specifically. I don't know how they want to implement it. I don't have any of the concrete details from the City of Whitehorse. But I'm willing to have that discussion."

NDP MLA Lane Tredger said the $1.5 million figure was "a starting place." 

"If that's not enough, I really hope the city comes back with a proposal because this is so important," Tredger said. 

Dixon made it clear he believes the promise has already been made by the Yukon government, and "it's only fair" that they foot the entire bill. 

He says the cost will be more like $1.7 million to start, with annual increases as ridership grows.