MP Nathan Culen seeks Council support in quest for Federal action on Highway 16 Transportation

Greyhound Service across Northern British Columbia
will come to an end later this month

With the clock ticking towards the end of Greyhound Service in Northern BC later this month, Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP Nathan Cullen is looking to the Federal government to ensure that some form of transportation links from the North Coast to the Central Interior region of the province.

The MP who has been engaged in the discussion on Greyhound in the months following the February announcement has taken his call for action to City Council with a correspondence to Council from March, which is up for review of the Mayor and Council members tonight.

In the letter addressed to Mayor Lee Brain and City Council, the MP asks for their support in raising the issue of transportation across the Highway 16 corridor with the federal government, with Council set to discuss the correspondence at tonight's Council session.

MP Nathan Cullen's letter to City Council
on transportation concerns for Northern BC
(click to enlarge)

The City of Prince Rupert, along with other regional partners on the North Coast have held to their  decision of December of 2016 against participation in the BC Transit program from Terrace to Prince George.

As we noted on the blog last week, that service was recently upgraded By BC Transit which has introduced larger buses for the Smithers to Prince George run, that as the service has proven to be very popular with residents of the Bulkley Valley and points east.

Even with that success and the indications that plans continue to evolve for the service that now runs from Terrace to points east, Mr. Cullen suggests that the provincial service was not meant as a replacement for the Greyhound service, with the MP calling it imperative that we get support from the federal government to provide safe and reliable public transit.

The introduction of Mr. Cullen's letter tonight, could give City Council an opportunity to revisit their decision of two years ago and provide some background to the public as to whether they plan to seek inclusion in the provincial action plan for Highway 16.

Or, if they plan offer up their own transportation suggestions to address the concerns of those in the community who will lose the Greyhound service on May 31st.

More background on transportation issues across the Northwest can be found on our archive page here.

A preview of other items of note from tonight's City Council session can be found here.


Cross posted from the North Coast Review