Fair Calgary Policy to be reviewed November 7th, 2012 at Community Protective Services Standing Policy Committee

[Citizen]

Fair Calgary will be asking for approval of five recommendations to help make fees for City run programs more affordable and easy to get for Calgarians in need. 

To learn about the Fair Calgary policy please visit this link...

The recommendations will become public knowledge on the City website the Friday before (November 2nd). Please take a look when this report is posted on the committee's agenda website page of the standing policy of community protective services for Wednesday November 7th, 2012. 

This is an opportunity for transit camp speak to the policy as a group of citizens who believe in equity, fairness and creating affordable city programs such as affordable transit system for all citizens.

There are some thoughtful ideas about making the programs easier to get which may include:

-More places to qualify for the discounts,  

-Having one form to fill out to qualify for all seven subsidized programs, 

-Creating a single ride discount as well as a monthly pass, 

-Grandfathering people who already have a discounted pass to keep it at the price prior to the change in policy.

-All programs use the same measurement of income eligibility

However other recommendations require more input and consideration from Calgarians to make it fair such as how the sliding scale is determined. Please keep in mind these principles to decide how deep the discounts might be:

-Fees needs to be within reach of Calgarians in need. 

-All citizens in need be given the same discounts across all age groups. 

There has been much discussion about the controversy of pitting age and income groups against each other. ie. seniors against youth and people living on low income because the City has a history of creating age based fees verses income based fares.

This is an opportunity for transit camp to talk about how discounts might work on City Transit. Some of these ideas community has shared include: 

-Free transit for all Calgarians,

-People living on low-income get the same discount as seniors living on low income at $ 15 a year

-Discounts being at least 50% of the adult fare

-Use of a sliding scale (the less money you have, the greater discount a person receives). 

We hope Transit Camp takes this opportunity to help shape policies and fees Calgarians can afford to pay.