JASON SETNYK
Cornwall City Council has officially dissolved the longstanding Transit Advisory Committee, replacing it with a more focused Transit Master Plan Working Group that will include one council member alongside city staff and consultants.
The decision reflects a shift toward technical and data-driven governance in transit planning.
The new working group will guide development of the city’s multi-year Transit Master Plan, addressing service levels, ridership growth, accessibility, capital investments, and long-term financial sustainability.
Deputy CAO Matthew Stephenson said the new structure mirrors the city’s recent fire master plan process and is designed to keep council closely involved.
“We are asking for a member of council to sit on the weekly meetings with the consultant as an advisory member,” he said, noting the approach “worked very well through that process” and helped keep council informed as decisions progressed.
Councillor Dean Hollingsworth, a former member of the dissolved committee, supported the change but noted the committee’s challenges.
“Yes, it has struggled to get functioning at times because it’s such a small committee-getting quorum and whatnot,” he said. “I think it’s kind of the way it needs to proceed… I’d be willing to offer my name.”
Mayor Justin Towndale confirmed he had already received expressions of interest from councillors and would announce the appointment at a future meeting.
However, not all councillors were in favour. Councillor Carilyne Hébert expressed concern about the loss of lay member voices. “I’m not going to support this,” she said. “Most of the folks who are going to be sitting on this master plan committee will not be avid transit users… that voice will be absolutely missed.”
While reassured by the promise of broad community consultation-including surveys, town halls, and outreach to seniors, students, and accessibility groups-Hébert urged future councils to consider reinstating a citizen committee during implementation.
She also raised a broader issue with outdated terminology: “I would love us to get to a point where we don’t use ‘stakeholder’ in any of our reports anymore,” advocating instead for more inclusive language like ‘interest-holder,’ especially in reference to Akwesasne partnerships.
Councillor Sarah Good supported the new working group structure and called for ambitious thinking. “If we could somehow implement free or very, very low-cost transit, I think it would be an immense benefit to our community,” she said, citing Orangeville’s experience (since 2023) with fully subsidized transit and its use of gas tax offsets.
Councillor Elaine MacDonald echoed the need for more affordable transit, and outreach to frequent riders. “I won’t call it free transit because somebody has to pay for it,” she said, “but totally subsidized transit.”
MacDonald encouraged the working group to consult broadly with bus riders and include ideas from groups such as the Cornwall and District Labour Council, which has previously advocated for fully accessible and affordable transit systems.
The report noted that the previous advisory committee met infrequently, often struggled to make quorum, and had limited impact on operational decision-making. In contrast, modern engagement strategies-such as pop-up consultations, online surveys, and direct outreach to user groups-have proven more effective.
According to Stephenson, the working group will consist of transit staff, the consulting firm, and a designated council member who can bring weekly insights back to the full council.
Once the Transit Master Plan is finalized and adopted, the group will disband, and city administration will be responsible for implementing its recommendations.
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