People can now travel from La Ronge to Prince Albert free of charge
A free shuttle service that runs from La Ronge to Prince Albert and back began operating on Monday.
This project is spearheaded by Ron Woytowich, Executive Director with the Kikinahk Friendship Centre. He says this project will help show there is a demand for public transportation service from La Ronge to Prince Albert.
“It’s going to work no matter what, I know it. But this is a good way of finding out the actual need,” said Woytowich.
“We are in the far north, we really are. We’re lucky enough to have our hospital here, we’re lucky enough to have courts here and health services and 20 doctors but you still have to go to Prince Albert for the hospital, Prince Albert for specialists, Prince Albert for everything that’s necessary. And we have students from La Ronge that are going to school in Prince Albert," he said.
Woytowich secured funding from the federal government and different agencies to be able to provide the shuttle service for free until March 31.
“My gut feeling is that it will cost us around $80-85,000 between salaries. The wildcard quite frankly is the fuel cost. We budgeted for $1.20 a year and a half ago and it’s $1.80 today,” said Woytowich.
“If we run six days a week and we don’t drive around Prince Albert too much and just take them to one spot or two, it’s going to be about 90,000 kilometres in those five months.”
The shuttle is a 15-passenger bus that has been acquired by the Friendship Centre a few years ago. Woyotwich says they currently have a total of four buses that can be used for this project and because the trip is free, they will accept passengers on a priority basis.
“We are going to designate needs. If somebody was to just say ‘I’m going shopping,' I’m sorry, you are going to be at the bottom of the list. But if somebody needs to go to the hospital or education-wise or social services, then they are going to have first choice,” said Woytowich.
Currently, the free shuttle service runs one trip to and from La Ronge from Monday until Friday. But ultimately, the goal is to be able to run it from Sunday until Friday.
The free service also works for residents of Prince Albert who need to go to La Ronge.
The drop-off and pick-up points are the Kikinahk Friendship Centre in La Ronge, the Co-op in Air Ronge and the bus terminal by Central Avenue in Prince Albert.
The bus leaves La Ronge at 9:00 a.m. and Prince Albert by 6:30 p.m.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
2 military horses that broke free and ran loose across London are in serious condition
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.