Traffic safety and transportation were hot topics as the Saskatchewan legislature got back into session this past week, and the Battlefords were involved in both those issues.
On Tuesday, the legislature passed a motion establishing a new bipartisan legislative committee on traffic safety.
More importantly from a local perspective, it was announced Battlefords MLA Herb Cox will be on that committee.
Also on the new committee are fellow Sask Party MLAs Darryl Hickie, Roger Parent, Warren Steinley and Nadine Wilson and opposition NDP MLAs Danielle Chartier and Doyle Vermette.
According to a government news release, the committee is to hold meetings around the province over the next few months and consider and report on ways to improve traffic safety and reduce the number of accidents, injuries and fatalities caused by factors like impaired driving, distracted driving, excessive speed, wildlife and intersections.
The government cited the bad 2012 numbers where there were 175 traffic fatalities in the province. The committee expects to complete its final report by August 2013.
In other news, the February announcement by Saskatchewan Transportation Company that they were dropping three routes, including one from Blaine Lake to North Battleford, has drawn fire from the NDP in news releases and within the legislature itself.
They raised the issue in the legislature Tuesday. In posing his question to Minister of Highways and Infrastructure Don McMorris, opposition critic Doyle Vermette accused the government of leaving passengers stranded.
"What is outrageous is that the Sask Party government is cutting bus routes so they can pay for their priorities like three more politicians," said Vermette. "On routes to Lanigan, Blaine Lake, Eastend, there will be no STC service. One senior from Holdfast wrote to the paper and said she's been left stranded. To the minister: why are these people being told to hitchhike to their medical appointments?"
McMorris, however, held steadfast on the decision to drop the routes.
"They had an average ridership per trip of two people or less, Mr. Speaker," said McMorris.
"That's running a bus for a whole route for one or two people per trip, Mr. Speaker. It also did some courier service. But, Mr. Speaker, it was far from making money. They were certainly losing a lot of money. We have moved forward with STC to eliminate those routes, Mr.Speaker, because we don't feel it affects one or two passengers per trip."
McMorris went on to say that to keep the $10 million subsidy to STC under control, "tough decisions have to be made."
Vermette also voiced concern about the impact dropping the routes would have for those using the shipping services, but McMorris responded private courier services would pick up that business.
