Municipal officials are hoping the Ford government will support the continued operation of Huron Shores Area Transit (HSAT) after a meeting was held with area provincial leaders.
Lambton Shores officials met with Ontario’s Minister of Rural Affairs Lisa Thompson and Lambton-Kent-Middlesex MPP Steve Pinsonneault on March 21 to discuss the importance of rural transit.
Provincial funding for HSAT was set to expire on March 31, but the Municipality of Lambton Shores agreed to pay up to $50,000 to keep the service running for another month, in order to hopefully secure "critical" long-term funding from the province.
The goal is to secure funding from the Ontario Transit Investment Fund, however, there isn't an application deadline and it's unknown when funds will be doled out.
The transit service -- which has grown in popularity since launching in 2020 -- connects riders to municipalities in Lambton County, South Huron, Bluewater, North Middlesex, and Lucan.
During last week's meeting, Lambton Shores Mayor Doug Cook highlighted the collaborative efforts of partner municipalities to help support HSAT in the future, including funding commitments from Lambton Shores, the Municipality of Bluewater, the Municipality of South Huron, and Kettle and Stony Point First Nation.
“We are excited to have the support of our municipal partners, and we will continue to work with the province to advocate for the importance of HSAT as a rural transit system that serves multiple municipalities and their residents,” said Cook in a statement.
While the meeting did not result in an official funding commitment, both Thompson and Pinsonneault posted to social media, noting the importance of rural transit.
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