WHEREAS there are citizens in Alberta who are in need of transportation services to attend such matters as medical appointments, dental appointments, hearing aid clinics, orthotic clinics and to seek services not available to them within rural Alberta; AND WHEREAS the provincial government, at one time, funded transportation services for senior citizens; AND WHEREAS the provincial government is experiencing significant provincial surpluses, the provincial debt has been fully paid and new monies are available to the province for program reinstatement;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the provincial government fully fund rural transportation societies in rural Alberta whose mandate is to provide this service to citizens in need of such a service.

As stated above, the provincial government traditionally funded this service so that citizens who did not or could not drive, or did not have family or friends able to drive them to larger urban centres to receive such treatments as kidney dialysis, chemotherapy, hearing testing or specialized medical treatment, would be able to access this service at a low cost. Due to the large turnaround in the economic fortune of Alberta, the provincial government can no longer justify its cutbacks of the 1990s when it comes to transportation services.

The AAMDC currently has no resolutions in effect with respect to this issue.

In its response to the report from the Ministers Council on Municipal Sustainability, the Government committed to consultation on funding sources related to municipal transportation services. The Association will continue to advocate for the full funding of transportation societies as part of its regular advocacy work.