The op-ed. the Winnipeg Free Press refused to publish

Winnipg Free Press editor Margo Goodhand said to me in an email that could pitch the occasional op-ed. piece on an issue that's in the news.  The 20-cent transit fare increase is one such story. I submitted an article which I had hoped would get publishished.The following is the op-ed. which the paper refused to publish. The voice of the poor and people living with a disability deserve to be heard on this very important issue. Tell me, why should politicians and criminals get all of the press? Shame on the Winnipeg Free Press!  I expected better from them.

Transit fare increase hurts our most vulnerable citizens

Stop the twenty cent transit fare increase! This is a message that Winnipeggers will be hearing a lot of in the coming weeks. Advocates for the poor, people with disabilities as well as other community based organizations have been gearing up for a show down with city hall over this issue.

On the surface it's an issue that does not appear to affect that many people. In actuality, it does. It affects some of our community's most "vulnerable" citizens who least can afford another hike in transit fares. Such an increase will only add to the finacial burden faced by so many university students, seniors, people with disabilities and others living on a fixed or low income.

It's a common misconception that individuals who receive social assistance automatically receive a monthly bus pass. Unfortunately, this isn't the case.

In my opinion, the 20-cent transit fare increase, which was passed last fall, amounts to a "declaration of war" against some of our city's most vulnerable citizens. Persons with disabilities and those living in poverty understand that government budgets need to be balanced and infrastructure projects, like bus rapid transit, need to be paid for. However, we believe that this is something which should never be done on the backs of those who can least least afford it.

On July 14, 2010 I made a presentation before our City Council's Executive Policy Committee on behalf of Make Poverty History Manitoba. I called upon our city to "take responsibility for its poorest and most vulnerable citizens." I pointed out that our city used to disavow any responsibility for Aboriginal people and newcomers. It has outgrown that excuse. I said, "Wouldn't it be refreshing if the city treated poor people the same way, as full-citizens?" As an advocate for the poor and persons with disabilities, I am appalled at city council's attitude towards the poor. The transit fare hike does nothing to help the poor. In fact, it has the opposite effect. It hurts us!

We have been told that the money collected from the fare hike will be used to complete the Bus Rapid Transit corridor all the way to the University of Manitoba. I agree with those who say that it's not fair to charge our transit users, many of whom will never use the rapid transit line, what amounts to an additional fee to pay for building Winnipeg's infrastructure. No other Canadian city, which I'm aware of, makes its transit users pay for the cost of expanding their infrastructure. City council needs to find other ways paying for this project.

Some groups have proposed the creation of a fare-free transit system. The Green Party and Occupy Winnipeg are among them. While I believe that there is nothing free in this world, I do think that this idea deserves closer examination. We need to have a dialogue around the entire issue of public transportation and how this service is delivered. The bus fare increase has presented Winnipegger's with the opportunity to make their views known. A good, efficiently run public transit system, benefits us all.

In the end, what we want to have is a transit system that's safe, affordable and accessible for all of our citizens. Raising transit fares by an additional twenty cents won't translate into an increase in ridership. If city council's decision to increase transit fares is not rolled back, then I am afraid many individuals will end up having to use some of their food or rent money in order to meet their transportation needs. This is one "choice" that people should NOT have to make.

In the St. Vital by-election held last fall, voters sent a clear message to city council. We want to be consulted before politicians raise our taxes or any fees for services. All ten of the candidates said that they would have voted against the fare increase if they were on council at the time. So, when the City's Public Works Committee meets on February 28th, we will be asking that our city councillors roll back their earlier decision to raise our transit fares by an additional 20 cents in June. It's the right thing to do!

Harry Wolbert is an anti-poverty and disability advocate. He serves on the Executive Committee of Make Poverty History Manitoba and is a member of Occupy Winnipeg.