December 1st, 2021
Cynthia Garneau
President and Chief Executive Officer
VIA Rail Canada Inc.
PO Box 8116 Succ. Centre-Ville
Montreal, QC
H3C 3N3
Dear Ms. Garneau,
For many residents of Northumberland–Peterborough South, access to reliable, safe and affordable transit is imperative. Residents require transit to the Toronto area for many reasons, including for work, education, commerce and medical services. Unfortunately, during the pandemic, for economic and health reasons, VIA Rail services in our riding were abruptly reduced, leaving many residents without reasonable options. While this may have been necessary at the time, our economy has now reopened and our residents require the restoration of full VIA Rail services at all stops in Northumberland County and surrounding areas.
In your corporate planning documents, you committed to “providing your travelers with a convenient, efficient and reliable alternative to the automobile.” Respectfully, you are currently letting residents of Northumberland–Peterborough South down. It is absolutely critical that you take action immediately to live up to your commitment to provide services to our residents, who rely on access to VIA Rail for their work, for their health, and for their education. I implore you to immediately restore access to all VIA services in Northumberland–Peterborough South.
Regards,
Philip Lawrence MP
Northumberland–Peterborough South
CC; The Honourable Omar Alghabra
Minister of Transport
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6