Winnipeg's new transit network set to launch this weekend
A major overhaul of Winnipeg's transit network is set to begin this weekend.
On Sunday, Winnipeg Transit is launching its new primary network and feeder routes.
The goal of the overhaul is to improve efficiency and reliability by running buses on primary routes that are considered simpler and straighter. At peak times, buses will run as often as every five to 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, the feeder route system, which connects to the primary network, is designed to reach community and connector routes to avoid congested areas.
Ahead of Sunday, the city is reminding riders that bus stops will change, with some being added, removed or shifted to new locations.
More information on the new transit network, including schedules, stops and routes, is available online.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Increase in dog bite incidents prompts Wolfville park to limit off-leash hours
Social Sharing After an unspecified number of incidents involving off-leash dogs at Reservoir Park, the Town of Wolfville, N.S., is running a pilot project until January that will limit the hours dogs can be off-leash. The changes mean dogs must stay on leash between 10 a.m. AT and 7 p.m. each day. Previously, there weren't any restrictions. Wolfville Mayor Jodi MacKay said when she received a call from an emergency room doctor telling her she was seeing more cases of dog bites coming from the park, MacKay said she knew something had to be done. MacKay said the town gathered feedback from community members for a couple of months. "We heard a lot of just negative interactions [with off-leash dogs]," she said. MacKay said she does not know how many incidents there have been and how severe they were. People who don't comply with the new rules can be fined between $100 and $1,000. MacKay, who owns a five-year-old schnauzer named Mac, said people who want to share feedback about the pilot project can do so by scanning QR codes located throughout Reservoir Park. David Steele is a member of a naturalist group and often walks at the park. "I've had excited dogs come racing at me and jump on me," said Steele. "I'm a fairly sturdy fellow, but not everybody who walks here is, so I can understand why that could be quite threatening and even dangerous for some of the people who use the park." Off-leash debate divides Wolfville dog owners 11 hours ago Duration 1:42 A park in Wolfville is changing the rules around taking dogs off-leash. It comes after reports of an increase in dog bites. As Giuliana Grillo reports, dog owners are on different sides of the fence on the issue. Steele said it isn't just dogs that can be found at the park. He said most of his interactions with pets there have been positive, but the few that aren't can be especially dangerous for children and elderly people. Doug Watling of Kentville, N.S., is not pleased with the change. He frequently drives to Reservoir Park to let his dog, 13-year-old Hannah, off-leash. "One of the things that made the park charming is the fact that dogs were off-leash and got to engage and interact with people," he said. "We'll be coming here far less often, trust me."
Globe and Mail
an hour ago
- Globe and Mail
The high cost of hosting wildfire evacuees
For the past six summers, High Level, Alta., a northern town of 4,000 that straddles the only road into the province from the Northwest Territories, has converted its arena into a makeshift wildfire evacuation centre. Municipal staff have been diverted from regular duties such as working at the pool or running summer programs to haul up to 350 cots, purchased by the town to accommodate evacuees, from a storage container into the arena. They have sometimes worked up to 17 hours a day to make sure everyone was fed and children were entertained. That work is not continuing this summer. In late May, as out-of-control wildfires burned in Central and Western Canada, the town issued a public notice advising it would not be hosting evacuees in its arena. Crystal McAteer, the long-time mayor of High Level, said the decision not to reopen the evacuation centre was made 'with a heavy heart,' but that the strain on the town's staff and finances had become too great. 'As the wildfires become more frequent and more severe, it's demanding more and more time of our very limited people resources,' said Ms. McAteer. She said the town has struggled in past years to recoup costs associated with hosting evacuees from higher levels of government. In 2024, High Level spent $1.4-million – the equivalent of more than 10 per cent of its budget – and is still waiting to be repaid. 'For a municipality the size of High Level, we just can't afford that,' Ms. McAteer said. As the frequency and severity of wildfires are predicted to intensify, High Level's experience highlights the challenge facing municipalities playing a vital role in Canada's response. Experts say some may not be able to shoulder the burden of hosting evacuees without more support from governments. 'I think this is a growing problem,' said Jack Rozdilsky, an associate professor of disaster and emergency management at York University who has studied support for wildfire evacuees. He said that while the front-end of evacuations – the removal of people from immediate danger – has become more streamlined, 'we still have some work to do to figure out the back-end.' The responsibility for managing wildfire evacuations rests primarily with provincial and territorial governments, which offer funding for food and accommodation. Costs for First Nations people who ordinarily live on reserve are covered by the federal government. Across the country, however, there is a patchwork of policies that dictate how municipalities are repaid. In Alberta, those that host wildfire evacuees are generally reimbursed by the community whose residents were displaced. The displaced community, in turn, applies to the province to recoup those costs, according to Arthur Green, press secretary for Alberta's Ministry of Public Safety and Emergency Services. Mr. Green did not directly address questions about High Level. Ms. McAteer said the town is awaiting reimbursement from the federal government because the communities it hosted last year included two First Nations. Jennifer Cooper, a spokeswoman for Indigenous Services Canada, said Little Red River Cree Nation and the Dene Tha' First Nation are still finalizing their claims with the government. She said the government provided emergency payments to the First Nations following the evacuation, but would not disclose the amount. Little Red River Cree Nation and the Dene Tha' First Nation did not respond to a request for comment. In Whitecourt, Alta., a town of nearly 10,000, mayor Tom Pickard said he empathizes with smaller communities such as High Level whose population may double during wildfire season. Whitecourt has hosted evacuees for the past several years, but doesn't need to run a dedicated centre because it has enough hotel capacity, he said. While it can take some time to be reimbursed for hosting-related expenses, he said it doesn't create hardship for his town. 'We maybe haven't been inundated like High Level. If we were getting 10,000 people every year into our community of 10,000, I think we would be overwhelmed if we did it too often,' Mr. Pickard said. The model in Alberta differs from some other provinces and territories. British Columbia, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories compensate host communities directly for expenses, spokespeople for the provincial and territorial departments said. Some eastern provinces have standing agreements with the Canadian Red Cross. Leianne Musselman, a spokesperson for the organization, said it is prepared to provide support to all communities but pre-existing agreements 'allow communities and the Red Cross to plan ahead' and have clear roles and responsibilities. The process went relatively smoothly in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, N.L., in 2024, when the town of 8,000 welcomed about 4,000 wildfire evacuees from Labrador City. Brad Butler, the town's director of protective services, said the community helped co-ordinate logistics with the Red Cross and the Salvation Army to care for and feed evacuees. The province then reimbursed the town for things such as cases of water and overtime pay for municipal staff within the calendar year, Mr. Butler said. In High Level, Ms. McAteer said the town especially felt the strain in 2023, when Canada faced the most destructive wildfires on record and many communities in the Northwest Territories, including Yellowknife, were evacuated. At times, the town ballooned by as many as 7,000 people. The mayor said she's long been advocating for a purpose-built evacuation centre. A building with centralized services could reduce the number of staff required, Ms. McAteer said, and could be used as a multiplex and for classrooms during the off-season. 'I feel that the provincial government doesn't understand how unique High Level is positioned to help everybody,' said Ms. McAteer. With increased support from the provincial and federal governments for infrastructure, staff and counsellors, an evacuation centre could run 'like clockwork,' she said. 'We have done it so often. We know how to do it.'
CBC
2 hours ago
- CBC
Nearly 2,000 households in need of new home as Quebec's moving day nears
Social Sharing With Quebec's moving day fast approaching, more than 2,000 households across the province are still searching for housing — 320 more than at the same time last year, according to the province's housing corporation. Advocacy groups say they are bracing for more emergency calls. "There's been a lot more evictions, cases of repossessions," said Lyn O'Donnell, with the Citizen Action Committee of Verdun. "People are not only dealing with eviction. They're also dealing with the fact that they've received rent increases that, you know, like your average person just can't afford." In Montreal alone, some 270 have asked for help, the Société d'habitation du Québec (SHQ) says. Advocates warn the number is misleading. "That's just what's reported, right? So there's so much invisible homelessness involved in that. That even includes families with children," O'Donnell said. The city says help is available by calling 311. "We have enough resources, enough budget to help you find a new dwelling," said Philippe Sabourin, City of Montreal spokesperson. "We can also offer temporary resources or a temporary dwelling. We also have some resources for the storage if it's required." Help is out there — but not enough Help is also available through the SHQ and some people may be eligible for a rent supplement. But housing advocates say these resources are far from enough. "Housing is scarce, first of all. And also the program is mostly for low-income households," O'Donnell said. "And you have to have lived on the island of Montreal for the past 12 months and you have to have used up all of your own resources." O'Donnell said all of these measures are only temporary. The real solution is making more affordable housing available. Housing advocacy group Le Front d'action populaire en réaménagement urbain (FRAPRU) says the increasing number of households in search of a home is due to the scarcity of affordable housing in the province. The SHQ says that of the 1,989 households at risk of homelessness, 473 are already in temporary accommodations, such as with family, friends or in a hotel. WATCH | How to get help: Struggling to find a place to live by moving day? Here's how to get help 1 day ago Duration 1:57 The City of Montreal and the provincial government say they have resources for people who can't find an affordable place to live, with a housing crisis making July 1 a particularly difficult date for some. The regions with the highest number of cases include Lanaudière (294), Montreal (269) and Montérégie (235). Véronique Laflamme, spokesperson for FRAPRU, said people are often hoping for a solution up until July 1, and then come forward looking for help soon after. She said some end up in their cars or camping. Assistance varies across province Although rehousing assistance is available throughout the province, the measures offered to tenants vary greatly from one region to another, said Laflamme. Not all municipalities offer the Quebec-backed rehousing assistance program like the one in Montreal, which provides temporary accommodations, moving and storage. The housing shortage is easing slightly across the province, with the housing vacancy rate at 1.8 per cent in 2024, up from 1.3 per cent in 2023, according to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). But this improvement does not translate into greater affordability, Laflamme said. In Montreal last year, the vacancy rate for units under $1,150 was less than one per cent. This compares to more than five per cent for units priced at a minimum of $1,675, which likely includes many recently built rental apartments, according to CMHC data. New data from Statistics Canada, released Wednesday, also shows soaring prices for available housing. The asking rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Montreal was $1,930 in the first quarter of 2025 — a 70.8 per cent increase from 2019. In Montreal, the average rent increase was 18.7 per cent in 2024 for apartments that changed tenants, compared to 4.7 per cent for dwellings where a lease was renewed, according to the CMHC. Since 2018, rents have jumped 47 per cent for all apartments in the province, according to a compilation by FRAPRU based on data from the CMHC. To address this unaffordability, FRAPRU urges Quebec to double the number of social housing units in the rental stock within 15 years, which would involve the construction of at least 10,000 new social housing units per year. The government has adopted a national housing strategy and set a target of 56,000 rental units per year — but no target for social housing, laments Laflamme. Even for tenants who are not moving this year, the situation is far from ideal, as many are facing steep rent increases, said Laflamme. The average rent increase suggested by Quebec's housing tribunal was 5.9 per cent for 2025. "This year's lease renewal period has been extremely difficult," said Laflamme, citing a large number of callers looking for ways to mitigate rent increases.
