Some residents feel that for far too long Port McNicoll has gotten the short end of the stick --- and it's happening again.
A new Simcoe County transit route between Orillia and Midland will stop in Waubaushene and Victoria Harbour as the bus goes through Tay Township, however, despite council requesting a stop in a third hamlet, Port McNicoll will miss out on the transit connection.
"I was raised in this town and we didn't have any transportation," said Nadine Woods, a Port McNicoll resident and business owner. "We felt like we were trapped. I have children now, 15 and 19, and neither of them have a driver's licence. For us to take them to town and back for jobs, or for them to take a taxi is very difficult."
Earlier this year, Woods said her daughter was spending $40 a day to get to Midland for work.
"I had to make her quit because her entire pay cheque would go towards that," said Woods. "There are lots of young people in this area and lots of seniors in the township that have to take taxis.
"If we had something simple that came through, we would really benefit from it."
And for a quick second, it did seem as if her end of the township would be put on the county transit map for the new LINX route. However, earlier in fall, a letter from the county to Tay council crushed those dreams as the bus completing its hour-long journey from Orillia to Midland.
"There's a lot of people that feel Port McNicoll has kind of gotten the shaft," said Woods. "To hear they're willing to stop in Waubaushene and Victoria Harbour is kind of a kick in the pants for us.
"It's hard to not take offence. We do have as much to offer as Waubaushene and Victoria Harbour."
That's why when Justin Baumgardner, a former Tay resident who still has roots in the area, proposed a survey to gather support for the Port stop, Woods jumped at the chance to join in.
"The demographics of Port McNicoll really don't allow for a lot of financial stability," he said. "And people that live in Port usually aren't making a whole tonne of money."
It can be financially taxing to spend $800 a month, going back and forth between Port McNicoll and Midland, said Baumgardner.
"Without a method of transportation, we stand to lose some of the other businesses that are coming in there," he said, adding the hamlet has already lost grocery stores, schools, the LCBOs, and restaurants.
"Nobody wants to set up shop there because there's no transit system. And by the end of the month, nobody has the money to spend. It's getting harder for residents in Port to get around and do stuff without having to go to Midland."
That's why he thinks Port McNicoll has always gotten the short end of the stick.
The reason county staff say Port McNicoll was left out was because it would add an extra 20 minutes to the clock, throwing off the bus route from it's hour-long loop.
Both Baumgardner and Woods said the bus would simply have to turn off the highway at Triple Bay Road, a swing around Talbot Street and then get back onto Highway 12 and make its way to Midland.
"They could maybe take five minutes off of another stop or do three minutes at each stop to be able to provide the stop in Port McNicoll," said Woods. "I do not feel it would take a full 20 minutes to pick up people at Port, especially if they met at one location."
But David Parks, the county's director of planning, economic development, transit & airport services, said it's much more than just that when it comes to considering a stop in a neighbourhood.
"With Port, we looked at the population base, where we could turn and how safely," he said, adding the whole exercise adds 20 minutes on a good day with good weather. "When you establish a route, all our buses have cameras and GPS systems, a 30-foot bus needs a proper area to turn and we have to consider safety conditions, visibility in all weathers."
Talking about the route, Parks said, "We determined we'd have to go all the way into town and down to the water. We drove multiple stops with our cars and looked at the mileage, doing the speed limit."
But the reaction from residents, he noted, is similar to what the county gets every time it establishes a route.
"I get it," Parks said. "But if we went to every community, it would become a longer run and people would get frustrated with that.
"We're not mandated to service all communities in a municipality. The township has to look at how to connect their residents with these services."
Parks said he understands there's a strong demand for transportation.
"We transport 20,000 people with the four (existing) routes," said Parks. "We know there's a demand. And that's why we established it. The local municipalities are also realizing that."
The county recognizes that, he said, and provides funding to municipalities to establish "micro-transit."
"There are options," said Parks. "I think Port McNicoll would be an option for micro-transit. Maybe (Tay Township) can look at an urban Uber system or a shared taxi system, such as happens in Innisfil."
Having said that, he added, county transit is an evolving process.
"We will adjust our routes by looking at the ridership," said Parks.
The county had planned on launching the route this fall, but manufacturing slowed down due to COVID-19, diminishing the supply chain down in the States, he said.
"We're looking at alternate bus companies to supply, so we're hoping for a late spring 2021 launch," said Parks. "If we can procure buses before then, we will establish it before then."
In the meantime, Baumgardner, who lives in Ottawa, has designed a survey to gather support from Port McNicoll residents to take it to the county next year.
The survey is open until the yearend because he hopes to capture the impact of residents' spending habits in relation to Christmas shopping.
"I'm prepared to argue this," Baumgardner said. "We're hoping to make a virtual presentation to the county and tell them it is needed."
