FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TORONTO – Today, it was announced by Greyhound that it would be cancelling it services permanently, leaving Canadians across the country without intercity bus services and more than 300 transit workers without jobs. Greyhound had previously announced earlier in 2020 that they would be suspending their services nation-wide. Along with the lack of funding from the Trudeau government for intercity transit, the final nail in the coffin was legislation from the Ontario provincial government, specifically Bill 213 that led to the total deregulation of the Motor Coach Industry.
“The closure of Greyhound Canada today demonstrates that the Liberal government are abject failures when it comes to mass transit in this country,” said John Di Nino, National President of ATU Canada. “The collapse of Greyhound was not a foregone conclusion; this could have been avoided if our federal and provincial governments actually cared about those in remote communities who relied on intercity bus service.”
In 2018, intercity transit was hit hard when Greyhound left shop in Western Canada because they were not making enough profit, cutting off critical routes for rural, Indigenous and Northern communities. The exacerbated financial situation along with mismanagement and negligence by both provincial and federal governments left Western provinces void of any routes connecting them to the rest of the country.
“This federal government has stood by and watched while intercity transit has been gutted because Greyhound putting profit over people.” Said Di Nino. “The closure of Greyhound today further aggravates the isolation of communities that relied on the services and displays how the Liberal government really feels about them.”
Rural and Indigenous communities in Canada have been and are chronically underserviced by public transit, creating transit deserts in which individuals are unable to travel to neighbouring communities for work, medical appointments, or leisure.
The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) Report even highlights the need for adequate intercity bus transit as a key step to reconciliation. The decision today and inaction by the Trudeau government has further entrenched the reality of isolation and throws the Trudeau government even further off the path of reconciliation.
“The closure of intercity transit today has torn a hole in the fabric of our country, which will take decades to repair,” said Di Nino. “People are tired of waiting in isolation- we need to restore and massively invest in intercity transit as part of a Green New Deal as soon as possible.”
-30-
For Media Inquiries:
Sam Hersh
514-867-0799
