Simard extols free transit for youth

Free transit for youth in Brandon will cost the provincial government more than $1 million, Municipal and Northern Relations Minister Glen Simard said at an event promoting the program on Thursday.

The one-year pilot program was launched in the city on Sept. 9. As of Wednesday, 1,500 rides were logged by youth using some of the 9,000 smart cards doled out to students last week, city officials said.

“For many families, this will make a real difference,” Simard, the MLA for Brandon East, said during a press conference in front of George Fitton School.

“Every dollar counts. Whether it’s groceries, school supplies, sports fees, transportation, families are feeling the pressure of rising costs, and that’s why programs like this matter.”

For one child, the free transit pass will save a family $718, he said, adding that it also builds a new generation of transit users.

“When young people learn to use public transit early, they gain confidence, independence and new opportunities. You can get to school, you can get to work, you can get to rec programs, libraries … and all paid for by somebody else,” he said.

“We’re creating a culture where public transit is not seen as a last resort, but it’s a convenient way to get around.”

For students, the pass also means more freedom, Simard said.

“It means one less barrier between you and where you want to go, whether it’s to school, part-time job, sports practice or simply spending time with friends,” he said.

The NDP government announced in the spring that it would provide free transit for children and youth aged six to 17 during the pilot project in the five Manitoba cities that have transit services. Adult Brandon School Division students are also eligible for the program.

The Sun previously reported that the City of Brandon could receive up to $1 million in reimbursement for lost fares between September 2026 and August 2027, but Simard on Thursday said his government is “providing more than $1 million to support this initiative.”

Early returns in Winnipeg, Selkirk and Brandon show that the program is “extremely successful,” Simard said.

Simard said he would advocate for the program to be extended past the one-year pilot period if it is popular for the rest of the school year.

“If we’re getting the results and we’re getting kids to work, kids to school, kids to libraries, kids to just have fun with their buddies, I’m all for it,” he said.

Mayor Jeff Fawcett called Thursday’s event a “very, very exciting announcement.”

“The province has taken up the mantle and made sure all students get this possibility, and I think that really shows a listening government right now. So we’ll benefit from that,” Fawcett said.

George Fitton School vice-principal Shannon Vogel said the free transit program helps create opportunities for every child to learn, belong and participate.

“Transportation connects children to school, but it also connects children to children, and children to people, and to programs and experiences,” Vogel said.

“We are grateful for the investment in Manitoba students and families, and we are especially excited to see what free transit will mean right here at George Fitton and in Brandon.”

She said bus ridership skills for students start at kindergarten at her school.

“We’re teaching our children young what safety and safe bus ridership skills are like, look like and sound like,” she said.

Brandon School Division Supt. Jon Zilkey, who spoke to the Sun after the press conference, noted that parents have to sign off before their children can get a pass.

“None of these passes are ever given to a child without the parents knowing about it. They give permission for all of them, so the comfort level will be with them,” Zilkey said.

He said the passes will especially help the division’s high school students.

“It’s really exciting for our kids. I think all of our kids, but particularly — we have a lot of high school kids that sometimes, unfortunately, sleep in. Now they have that opportunity to get there at any time of the day, make classes that they would have missed before,” Zilkey said.

If the program were to end in the future, Zilkey hopes that student ridership will continue.

“I think it’s good for Brandon and good for the environment as well,” he said.

Winkler and Flin Flon will also be participating in the province’s program, Simard said.

» alambert@brandonsun.com