Halton Hills - Civic Centre: At the November 1st, 2005 Halton Hills Council Meeting, Councillor Moya Johnson moved a report for council to approve an amendment to the Town's ActiVan System which recommends the procurement of a new replacement mini buss and a new larger additional buss which they hope will increase user-ship.

The report also recommends an amendment be made to the eligibility criteria for new riders, as well as establish a fulltime staff coordinator's position who will coordinate the current forty six registered users as well as any new users who decide to use the so-called, improved service. Other than changing the eligibility criteria, the report mentions no definitive plans on how its going to justify such cost as mentioned in the report, for something which currently only serves 46 members of the community. 

Councillor Moya Johnson who sits on the Accessibility Advisory Committee which endorsed the report, summarized it for council; "The current Activan Service certainly serves a segment of the disabled population but not enough of them. There were many people that didn't qualify for that service.  Specifically, people who were blind were not allowed to use the Activan Service, and the other group of people that I think told us loud and clearly that they needed assistance were seniors. So Mr. Drewlo brought this 'draft report' to the Accessibility Committee and we spent quite a number of hours that night hashing through what he brought forward. And the Accessibility Committee was quite excited about the changes that are reflected in this report, around increasing their mobility around town and also, not that there were seniors represented at that committee but we felt in the discussions that in addition to that, the addition of this additional van and the relaxation of the criteria that would allow seniors over the age of sixty five to use the service at a small cost would go along way to provide mobility to people in town that at the moment don't have it."

Moya went on to explain; the small van would serve as the back-up van so that if people who needed a wheelchair accessible ride called, but there was only one of them that day, then the small van would be sent and the bigger Activan that has wheelchair slash, regular seating could be used by a number of people perhaps to get to the seniors centre, or doctors appointments or whatever. 

The issue around the coordinator is probably the big decision we'll probably make to have a staff person that's coordinating that. But I think that's integral to the operation to the increased service is to have one person responsible for making sure whoever is calling and whoever has access to the service that the most deserving person gets it, and that it's coordinated well and were not having downtime for either vehicle, and the person answering the phone is responsive to their (riders) particular needs."

Coucillor Johnson went on to explain; "much of the report revolved around the cost piece and actual decisions which are referred to budget.  So I think this report tonight is really looking for Council's intent to increase the service. But when we get down to the budget committee than we can debate the actual numbers and if the person (coordinator) is fulltime, part time, whatever, and the actual hours of service. But I think the approval of this report tonight will go a long way for the senior population in town and also the people with disabilities, and the people with disabilities on their own, because they don't qualify for the service."

Ted Drewlo, P. Eng., Manager of Public Works for The Town of Halton Hills was asked to clarify - where is the source funding for the service and equipment coming from? Will there be a route and is this going to be a duplication of the Red Cross service already currently in use? "Relative to the funding, there is the dedicated gas tax funding from the Province of Ontario and that is related strictly to improvements to transit services in municipalities. So if we buy another buss, if we buy a larger buss, if we do things that increase the level of service that the funding the Province is going to provide, it's as it states in the report, up to a maximum of seventy five percent of the Town's operating budget for that year. It is a complicated formula but the total amount that the Municipality could have received in 2005 was over two hundred and forty thousand (dollars), and we're only getting seventy two thousand this year." Drewlo went on to add; "as far as the Transit Transportation Reserve, that is an existing reserve at the Town, it's at about one and a half million dollars. It can be used to fund transit services. As an interim funding it would be used and then the dedicated Gas Tax Reserve Funding would kick in two years down the road and replace that.  So over time   if the dedicated Gas Tax Reserve Funding continues and grows as it's suppose to, that could replace the Transportation Reserve completely. Then there's the Ministry of Transportation itself, which does fund one third of the capital cost."

Mr. Drewlo went on to describe the additional equipment the Committee is hoping to add to enhance the existing service; "it is very similar to the ActiVan buss. It has three wheel chair spots and about seven ambulatory patience seating. It does have a wheelchair lift system on it.  It would provide similar service to what our ActiVan service already provides."

When asked where the funding for the Transit Coordinator was coming from, Mr. Drewlo side steped the issue and said; "The Ministry of Health Funding wouldn't come to the Town. So it wouldn't be anything to do with the Town coordinator it would be due to a coordinator in the Red Cross area, so that's where the funding would go."

Relative to the duplication in community services, Mr. Drewlo went on to explain that this draft was not a duplication of services, but an extension of the community services already offered in North Halton. "If the draft was rejected today, the other services would still be running and would still be full, everyday."