2.             LIFE-TIME TRANSIT PASS FOR VETERANS

 

LAISSEZ-PASSER DE TRANSPORT EN COMMUN À VIE POUR LES ANCIENS COMBATTANTS

 

 

 

Committee RecommendationS AS AMENDED

 

That Council direct staff to prepare a budget submission for the 2011 City of Ottawa Budget for approval that would provide for free life-time transit passes for World War II and Korean War veterans aged 65 and older; and

 

That the above-noted recommendation be amended to include:

 

(a)    Service in other war zones in addition to those already mentioned - WW II and the Korean conflict; and

 

(b)   Para Transpo services.

 

 

RecommandationS MODIFIÉES du comité

 

Que le Conseil enjoigne le personnel de préparer une soumission budgétaire en vue du budget 2011 de la Ville d’Ottawa aux fins d’une approbation qui permettrait l’octroi de laissez-passer de transport en commun gratuits à vie aux anciens combattants de la Seconde Guerre mondiale et de la guerre de Corée âgés de 65 ans et plus; et

 

Que la recommandation précitée soit modifiée de façon à inclure :

 

(a)   Le service accompli dans des zones de guerre autres que celles déjà mentionnées – Seconde Guerre mondiale et guerre de Corée;

 

(b)   Le service Para Transpo.

 

 

Documentation

 

1.         Councillor Cullen’s report dated 3 May 2010 (ACS2010-CCS-TTC-0009).

 

2.         Extract of Draft Minutes 45, Transit Committee meeting of 10 May 2010


Report to/Rapport au :

 

Transit Committee

Comité du transport en commun

 

3 May 2010 / le 3 mai 2010

 

Submitted by/Soumis par : Alex Cullen, Councillor/Conseiller

Bay Ward/Quartier Baie (7) 

 

Contact Person/Personne ressource : Alex Cullen,
Councillor, Bay Ward / Conseiller, quartier Baie

(613) 580-2477, alex.cullen@ottawa.ca

 

City Wide/à l'échelle de la Ville

Ref N°: ACS2010-CCS-TTC-0009

 

 

SUBJECT:

LIFE-TIME TRANSIT PASS FOR VETERANS

 

 

OBJET :

LAISSEZ-PASSER DE TRANSPORT EN COMMUN À VIE POUR LES ANCIENS COMBATTANTS

 

 

REPORT RECOMMENDATION

 

That the Transit Committee direct staff to prepare a budget submission for the 2011 City of Ottawa Budget for approval that would provide for free life-time transit passes for World War II and Korean War veterans aged 65 and older.

 

 

RECOMMANDATION DU RAPPORT

 

Que le Comité du transport en commun enjoigne le personnel de préparer une soumission budgétaire en vue du budget 2011 de la Ville d’Ottawa aux fins d’une approbation qui permettrait l’octroi de laissez-passer de transport en commun gratuits à vie aux anciens combattants de la Seconde Guerre mondiale et de la guerre de Corée âgés de 65 ans et plus.

 

 

BACKGROUND

 

At the February 17, 2010 meeting of Transit Committee, Councillor Alex Cullen (Bay Ward) tabled the following inquiry:

 

Grand River Transit (GRT), which serves the Waterloo Region, provides a free life-time bus pass for World War II and Korean War veterans aged 65 and older. What would be the expected number of veterans in Ottawa that would be eligible for such a program here and what would be the cost (assumming a 2011 start)?

 

Staff provided a response to Councillor Cullen's inquiry at the April 21, 2010 meeting of Transit Committee (see Document 1). In short, the federal Department of Veterans Affairs estimate that there are some 6,000 World War II and Korean War veterans aged 65 and older resident in Ottawa.

 

OC Transpo estimates that, as the average age of these veterans is in the mid-eighties (WWII vets average age is 87; for Korean War vets the average age is 85), some 10% of these would use public transit (based on the 2005 Origin-Destination Survey results) and consequently the estimated revenue loss by providing these free life-time transit passes to these veterans is $250,000.

 

At the 21 April 2010 meeting of Transit Committee, Councillor Cullen submitted the following Notice of Motion, for consideration at a subsequent meeting:

 

WHEREAS recently the last surviving veteran from World War I passed away;

 

AND WHEREAS it is important to recognize and honour the contributions of our senior veterans from World War II and the Korean War to the preservation of freedom in Canada;

 

AND WHEREAS the average age of such veterans in Ottawa is 87 years of age (WWII) and 82 years of age (Korean War):

 

AND WHEREAS other municipalities (notably in Waterloo Region) have recognized the contributions of such veterans by providing a life-time transit pass free of charge to World War II and Korean War veterans aged 65 and older;

 

AND WHEREAS it is estimated that the cost of providing such a free life-time transit pass for veterans resident in Ottawa is $250,000;

 

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Transit Committee direct staff to prepare a budget submission for the 2011 City of Ottawa Budget for approval that would provide for such free life-time transit passes for World War II and Korean War veterans aged 65 and older.

 

 

DISCUSSION

 

With the recent passing away of the last surviving Canadian veteran from World War I and the aging of our World War II and Korean War veterans (now in their eighties) it is important to recognize and honour the contribution of our senior veterans from World War II and the Korean War to the preservation of our freedoms in Canada. Other municipalities (most notable the Region of Waterloo in Ontario) have taken this step by providing free life-time bus passes for their WWII and Korean War veterans.

 

As the City of Ottawa is the nation's capital where the Department of National Defence and the Department of Veterans Affairs are headquartered, it would be appropriate to recognize the contributions WWII and Korean War veterans have made to our country through providing free life-time transit passes to those resident in Ottawa. OC Transpo's overall budget (2010) is over $330 million, and as there would be a relatively small number (an estimated 600 such veterans) who could use such transit passes the cost estimate for this program - $250,000 - is quite modest.

 

OC Transpo currently provides Seniors' Transit Passes at $36 a month for those aged 65 and older, plus seniors (age 65 and older) ride free on OC Transpo on Wednesdays.

 

 

RURAL IMPLICATIONS

 

None.

 

 

CONSULTATION

 

This is a Councillor-led initiative, which has received wide-spread public attention and favour.

 

Infrastructure Services and Committee Sustainability – Transit Services

 

Staff supports the recommendation and will prepare a budget submission for the 2011 City of Ottawa Budget.

 

 

COMMENTS BY THE WARD COUNCILLOR(S)

 

This is a City-wide initiative.

 

 

LEGAL/RISK MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS

 

There are no legal/risk management impediments to the implementation of this Report’s recommendation.

 

 

CITY STRATEGIC PLAN

 

This initiative is consistent with improving accessibility to public transit by seniors.

 

 

TECHNICAL IMPLICATIONS

 

None.

 

 

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

 

OC Transpo staff have estimated the cost of implementing a free life-time transit pass for WWII and Korean War veterans (resident in Ottawa aged 65 and older) to be $250,000.

 

The $250,000 revenue foregone from this initiative will be a pressure for the 2011and future transit committee budgets.  The impact will likely be reduced over a period of years.

 

 

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION

 

Document 1 - Response to Inquiry No. TTC-03-10 - Cullen - Life-time Transit Pass for Veterans

 

 

DISPOSITION

 

If the recommendation of this report is approved, City staff will provide a budget submission regarding free life-time transit passes for WWII and Korean War veterans (resident in Ottawa aged 65 and older) for Transit Committee and City Council approval as part of the 2011 City budget process.

 

 


DOCUMENT 1

 

 

 


Council Member Inquiry/Motion Form

Demande de renseignements d’un membre du Conseil /Formulaire de motion

 

From/Exp.:

 

Councillor Cullen

Date:

 

17 February 2010

 

File/Dossier :

 

 

 

To/Dest. :

 

Steve Box, Manager, Policy Coordination & Outreach, CMO

 

Subject/Objet :

 

Inquiry No. TTC-03-10 – Cullen – Life-time Transit Pass for Veterans

 

Inquiry/Demande de renseignements :

 

From the Transit Committee meeting of 17 February 2010:

 

Grand River Transit (GRT), which serves the Waterloo Region, provides a free life-time bus pass for World War II and Korean War veterans aged 65 and older.  What would be the expected number of veterans in Ottawa that would be eligible for such a program here and what would be the cost (assuming a 2011 start)?

 

 

Response/Réponse

 

For the purpose of this response Transit Services assumed a Veteran’s Transit Pass would have the following eligibility requirements (as stated above) - World War II and Korean War veterans aged 65 and older.

 

Transit Services researched the best practices of a number of major Canadian cities to determine options for providing additional free service for Veterans.  Those options include:

 

Edmonton - Donate-a-Ride Program

Donate-a-Ride is a fundraising program designed to provide transit tickets to Veterans. 

It is a partnership between private business, Transit Services and the City’s social service agencies.

 

In Edmonton’s case, the program is broader in scope, supporting seniors, low-income individuals and single parents who are clients of the participating social service agencies. The disbursement of the tickets is handled through a partnership with United Way of the Alberta Capital Region. 

 

Grand River Transit (Waterloo) – Free Veterans Pass

Grand River Transit provides free passes to 640 Veterans, which includes free service within the Accessibility Transit Program. 

 

Guelph – Free Veterans Pass

Similar to Grand River; however, Guelph’s program is for conventional transit only - does not provide free Accessibility Transit. 

 

Toronto – Free Veterans Pass (External Funding)

The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) has proposed this type of pass, but its implementation is pending adequate funding by an external source to overcome the revenue shortfall that would result. 

 

Sponsorship Matching Programs

 

In order to facilitate the implementation of a free Veterans Transit Pass, Transit Services could work with appropriate charitable groups or social service agencies to set up a matching program (with an upper limit cap).  Veterans groups – through charitable groups or social service agencies - could raise funds from sponsors to purchase bus tickets for their members. In conjunction, Transit Services would provide an additional amount of tickets to match the sponsorship.


Para Transpo Service

 

The business model for providing free Veterans transit service is varied from city to city, especially regarding the use of accessibility transit (Para). 

 

For Ottawa’s Para Transpo, the issue of providing free service to Veterans is one of supply and demand.  The costs of operating Para would remain steady, as there are a finite number of trips available through the service.  Revenue would decrease marginally as Veterans travelling for free could replace paying customers.

 

However, the larger issue is that demand for the service would increase, and, because there are a limited number of trips, pressure would be added to the service, which could potentially result in diminished trip availability. 

 

City of Ottawa Estimates

 

Within the Ottawa boundary, the approximate number of World War II and Korean War veterans provided by Department of Veterans Affairs is 6,000.  Transit-use data, specific to veterans that are residents of Ottawa, is not available.

 

Based on the 2005 Origin-Destination survey results, it is estimated that 10% of all people age 75 or older use transit. The majority of WWII and Korean War veterans fall within this age category. The Origin-Destination survey data also indicates that 82% of those people 75 or older who use conventional transit have a transit pass, and the remainder use cash or tickets. It is estimated that if a Veteran’s Pass is offered for conventional transit only, the revenue loss would be approximately $250,000 - assuming there are 600 veterans (10% of 6,000) that are transit users; ticket users make 12 trips per month; and cash users make 8 trips per month. However, if the pass is accepted as a regular Senior Pass on Para Transpo, the revenue loss will increase.

 

The calculations provided only indicate the revenue impact.  These figures do not include additional expenditures such as developing and maintaining a process to identify and confirm eligibility, designing a new photo identification card and pass, and operating the program.

 

Conclusion

From an administrative perspective, the Donate-A-Ride program would appear to be the most appropriate model to provide additional transit service for our Veterans, since it would not require a new type of fare media or an eligibility confirmation process. It would likely only require the purchase and distribution of transit tickets by a charitable organization such as the Royal Canadian Legion or United Way, for example.

 

Currently, Transit Services does provide a number of programs that allow Veterans access to transit at a reduced cost.  The average age of World War II veterans (87) and Korean War veterans (82) places them within Transit Services eligibility for senior’s programs and initiatives. 

 

Those programs include:

 

 

 


            LIFE-TIME TRANSIT PASS FOR VETERANS

LAISSEZ-PASSER DE TRANSPORT EN COMMUN À VIE POUR LES ANCIENS COMBATTANTS

ACS2010-CCS-TTC-0009                               CITY WIDE/À L'ÉCHELLE DE LA VILLE

 

As this was his report, Councillor Cullen ceded the Chair to Councillor Wilkinson, the Committee’s Vice Chair.

 

Councillor Cullen introduced the item by noting that at the last meeting, Committee had received the response to an inquiry with respect to life-time transit passes for veterans.  He explained this matter had come to him through members of the community who brought to his attention the fact that Grand River Transit, which service the Region of Waterloo, provided a free life-time bus pass for World War II and Korean War veterans aged 65 and older.  He asked what it would take to do so in Ottawa.  Committee received the response to his inquiry and he then filed a Notice of Motion.  He remarked that the motion called for staff to prepare a budget submission for the 2011 City of Ottawa budget process.  He advised that there were approximately 6,000 such veterans living in the City of Ottawa and staff had estimated the cost would be around $250,000.  He reported having been asked whether he considered expanding this to include all Canadian veterans aged 65 and older who had served in areas of conflict.  He outlined his reasons as follows: 

·         He had been working from a model that had proven successful in another jurisdiction;

·         What he proposed was a manageable cost and expanding it could be considerably more expensive; and

·         Once a program was established, subsequent councils could expand it. 

 

Councillor Legendre introduced an amending motion asking for the program to be expanded to veterans having served in other war zones, in addition to World War II and Korea, and to include Para Transpo services. 

 

Ms. Kit McKay indicated her father was an 87-year old World War II veteran living in Guelph and that he enjoyed a life-time bus pass and life-time parking.  She hoped that when the logistics, parameters and administration of this proposal were being considered, that Council would also consider the persons affected.  She reminded members that these were the men and women who had fought for the freedom of Canadians.  She submitted that Canadians did a wonderful job of remembering them on November 11th.  She felt it was important to remember them on a day-to-day basis.  She advised that her father’s bus pass, parking pass and license plate each had a poppy.  She felt this would be a wonderful way to recognize and remember veterans so they would realize that Canadians would not forget.  

 

Councillor Harder asked how long Guelph had been offering this honour and service.  Ms. McKay believed it had started in 2005 or 2006.  She indicated her father had gone down to City Hall and within 5 minutes, he had a bus pass with his photo and a poppy on it. 

 

Responding to questions from Councillor Legendre, Ms. McKay confirmed that she had heard this amending motion and expressed her agreement with Councillor Cullen’s position that if it was opened too widely, it might scare people off and risk having the program defeated.  She indicated the cities that did have such programs had parameters in terms of the veterans to which it was limited.  In conclusion, she hoped the program would be approved in whatever way it could. 

 

Councillor Legendre maintained that even with his amending motion, the over 65 criteria would still apply.  Therefore, he did not believe there would be a significant budget impact to scare people off.  Further, he felt the principle was good for all.

 

Mr. Robert Butt, Royal Canadian Legion, expressed the Legion’s support for this initiative.  He felt World War II and Korean veterans residing in this City deserved to travel free on the buses and trains of the capital of Canada, particularly as they had reached old age.  However, he was concerned about the other veterans, explaining that the Legion considered all those who had served in the military forces of this country to be veterans.  He noted that the motion only referred to World War II and Korean veterans aged 65 and older and submitted that in a few years, there would be nobody left who qualified for these passes.  He indicated the Legion would be pleased if the motion included all veterans aged 65 and older, therefore he supported Councillor Legendre’s amendment.

 

Councillor Legendre noted the effect of the motion was not that veterans over 65 would receive a free pass.  The effect was that a report would go to Council for the budget, at which point the decision would be made for the 2011 budget.  Mr. Mercier responded affirmatively.

 

Councillor Legendre maintained that his amending motion would not change this context.  However, additional information would be provided in terms of the additional impact of expanding the program.  In terms of the other conflicts alluded to in his amending motion, he presumed there were very few veterans who would meet the 65 year age requirement at this time.  He submitted they come on stream as World War II and Korean veterans disappeared.  Therefore, he did not see that his motion would have a huge budget impact in any one year.  He hoped this would lessen h is colleagues’ anxiety and he re-iterated that if a gesture of this sort was worth doing, then it was worth getting it right the first time. 

 

Councillor Cullen asked that Councillor Legendre’s amendment be divided for voting.  He stated that he would support including Para Transpo services in order to eliminate the requirement for the ticket top-up.  He advised that he had struggled with the question of whether or not to include veterans from other conflicts in his motion and he re-iterated his reasons for not doing so.  However, he believed Councillor Legendre was correct in that the age requirement would limit the budget impact in any given year and that it was it was hard to differentiate between the contribution of veterans from World War II and the Korean War and those of any other veteran having been in a conflict zone to support peace keeping or to support preserving Canadians’ freedoms.  He felt Mr. Butt had stated it very well.  Therefore, he indicated he would support the amendments.  In closing, he acknowledged the presence of Mr. Brian McGill, who had brought this matter to his attention and independently contacted the Ministry of Veterans’ Affairs to find out how many World War II and Korean veterans were living in Ottawa.  He also drew Committee’s attention to the motion passed by the Seniors’ Advisory Committee in support of this initiative, a copy of which is held on file with the City Clerk. 

 

Councillor Thompson indicated he would support Councillor Legendre’s amendments as he felt it was important to do this.  He talked about travelling to the United States, noting that in their airports, they had special lounges for their military personnel.  He re-iterated that it was important to support veterans and he felt this was a small way of thanking them. 

 

Responding to a question from Councillor Desroches with respect to the cost estimate, Ms. Vicky Kyriaco-Wilson, Manager of Transit Marketing and Customer Service, indicated staff had contacted the Ministry of Veterans’ Affairs to find out the number of individuals who would qualify for the proposed veterans’ pass.  She then explained the methodology used to determine the number of veterans would likely use such a pass in order to come up with the estimated financial impact. 

 

Councillor Desroches felt this was a reasonable methodology.  However, he believed the estimate was high because, based on his observations, very few seniors were current pass holders as most tended to use their vehicles. 

 

Councillor Wilkinson referenced Councillor Legendre’s amendments and questioned the definition of “other war zones” and whether the program should distinguish between combat and peace-keeping missions.  She felt these should be listed.  Otherwise all former military personnel aged 65 or older would be eligible for the pass, which could have a significant budgetary impact.

 

Councillor Legendre indicated he had considered this but he had difficulty defining war zones.  He was mindful that Canadian soldiers served in various areas, in a peace-keeping role, and that they too were at times exposed to danger.  He did not want to leave out people who had served in such capacities.  Therefore, he was not keen on trying to itemize the various conflict zones.

 

Councillor Wilkinson asked that, if the motion was approved, staff look at identifying criteria in terms of the different conflict zones where the Canadian military had been involved in various capacities.

 

Committee voted on recommendations (a) and (b) separately.

 

Moved by Councillor J. Legendre

 

WHEREAS Transit Committee supports the principle of recognizing and honouring the contributions of our military service veterans to the preservations of our freedoms; and, 

 

WHEREAS all military service in war zones merits the same recognition; and,

 

WHEREAS veterans will sometimes be left with permanent disabilities as a result of their service,

 

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the recommendation before Transit Committee be amended,

 

(a)   to include service in other war zones in addition to those already mentioned - WW II and the Korean conflict, and,

 

                                                                                                CARRIED

 

(b)   that the Veteran’s Pass include Para Transpo services.

 

                                                                                                      CARRIED

 

Committee then voted on the item as amended.

 

That the Transit Committee direct staff to prepare a budget submission for the 2011 City of Ottawa Budget for approval that would provide for free life-time transit passes for World War II and Korean War veterans aged 65 and older; and

 

That the above-noted recommendation be amended to include:

 

(a)    Service in other war zones in addition to those already mentioned - WW II and the Korean conflict; and

 

(b)   Para Transpo services.

 

                                                                                                      CARRIED as amended