March 11, 2020
Today, the Regional Transit Services Commission (RTSC) Transition Team confirmed they have the participation needed to move forward with an application to the Government of Alberta to form a new transit commission.
Following the release of a business case in late January, the individual councils of all 13 Edmonton Metropolitan Region municipalities voted, throughout February and into March, on their decision to participate.
Participating Municipalities
Of the 13 eligible Edmonton Metropolitan Region municipalities, 12 have opted to join the new commission with the purpose of delivering more seamless and efficient transit services to residents in the region. Specifically, the municipalities that will be moving forward in the process include:
- City of Beaumont
- Town of Devon
- City of Edmonton
- City of Fort Saskatchewan
- City of Leduc
- Leduc County
- Town of Morinville
- Parkland County
- City of St. Albert
- City of Spruce Grove
- Town of Stony Plain
- Sturgeon County
“It is thrilling to see so many municipalities offer their support for this monumental initiative that will bring our region together and change the way public transit services are offered to so many communities,” said City of St. Albert Councillor Wes Brodhead, Chair of RTSC Transition Team.
As reflected in the
Transition Team report released on January 22, 2020, integrating municipal transit services across regional boundaries will allow all municipalities to benefit from better access to transit and is expected to improve customer experience, while delivering a more cost-effective service by removing duplication across the network.
“This is a great step for the region. It’s exciting to see so many of our partners on board for this initiative that started with just Edmonton and St. Albert,” said City of Edmonton Councillor Michael Walters, Co-Chair of the RTSC Transition Team. “The Commission makes good sense, and I’m looking forward to seeing this established for the benefit of every community involved.”
Next Steps
For the municipalities who have chosen to take part in the new Commission, work will begin immediately to revise the business case to reflect the anticipated membership of the 12 municipalities listed above. The development of a five-year capital plan and draft bylaws will be collaboratively developed over the coming weeks. It is anticipated that during May 2020, those municipalities who have expressed their support in joining the commission will jointly submit an application to the Government of Alberta seeking approval to legally form the commission within legislation by the end of this year.
Following the submission of the application, the interim Transition Team, made up of elected officials from each participating municipality, will begin pre-implementation activities described in the final report. These activities include an executive search process for a CEO, developing a workforce transition plan, performing detailed contract reviews and initiating public engagement activities, as needed.
When the Commission is formally stood up over 2021, detailed transit planning and public engagement activities will take place to finalize the regional transit services design, which would be implemented during 2022 through the phased transfer of transit services from participating municipalities to the Commission.
