Hi there,

Please help us, as a community, to stop the public transit bus route to Sproat Lake.Community residents of the Alberni Clayoquot Regional District were recently made aware that BC Transit is looking at starting bus routes out to rural residential areas from the City of Port Alberni Walmart location.  

The residents in the ACRD do not want the added negative impacts of public transit coming out to the rural areas.Some key concerns include;
- Increased crime being able to affordably make it from Port Alberni to the ACRD.
- Existing issues with crime and garbage in the rural areas is not being dealt with
- Drugs and needles ending up on the trails, private residents and parks
- Homeless people living in the bushes, parks and seasonal homes.
- Increase in theft of personal property
- Increase in taxes for a public service that residents do not want and will not use
- Increase in tourists to small community parks that cannot handle large groups and trespassing on personal private property

The article was published by the Alberni Valley News on May 8th, 2020 and the meeting where “the ACRD board of directors will decide whether or not to proceed with the route during their next board meeting on May 13”2020. Our small rural communities are afraid that we will not be heard by the ACRD and end up paying for a service that will destroy our quality of life and impact our safety. Most residents agree that the crime and drug issues in the City of Port Alberni are devastating and sad but we also do not want to make it easier for criminal activity to take place with a public bus bringing crime to our rural quiet communities.

https://www.vancouverislandfreedaily.com/news/thieves-breaking-into-port-alberni-vehicles-three-times-the-rate-of-last-year/