Mayors meet with VIA
Posted Aug 30, 2012 07:20:11 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Kitchener Mayor Carl Zehr took a trip to London Thursday morning, via the 401, not via-rail.
Mayor Zehr and Regional Chair Ken Seiling were among several mayors from Southwestern Ontario who sat down with Via CEO Marc Laliberte to have a chat about cuts looming for this coming October.
Zehr tells 570News all in all, the meeting was a success, “What we were trying to do is first of all understand the rational for the cuts that they have made. Try to understand whether or not they’re reversible and certainly give the message that there should be no further cuts.”
Zehr says they were not successful in changing Via’s mind on reversing the cuts already made, which include eliminating two routes that run through Kitchener, and getting rid of ticket agents.
What they were able to get from Via is a promise that no more cuts would be made, and a pledge to form a working group with representatives from Via and communities in Southwestern Ontario immediately, “We want to ensure that there is a consultation with municipalities before they make these announcements, and they did apologize for the consultations not taking place and vowed that that would not happen again.”
Zehr says the irony in the meeting was that Via officials took a train to London, but had to drive back to Toronto for a meeting, as there was no train they could take.
