City votes to amend bus pass resolution to include Ukrainians

By Al Beeber - Lethbridge Herald on July 28, 2022.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDabeeber@lethbridgeherald.com

Lethbridge city council on Tuesday unanimously passed a revision to its recent decision on the bus pass program for refugees to include Ukrainians arriving in the city from their war-torn country.

A motion was made by Deputy Mayor Jenn Schmidt-Rempel to revise the wording of a decision made on July 5. It required a two-thirds vote to be approved.

Because Ukrainians aren’t considered refugees due to their intention to return home when it’s safe, an amendment was needed to include them as eligible for the free bus passes being given for a six-month period to refugees arriving in Lethbridge this year.

The program will allow refugees to use transportation at no cost to access services in the city.

Schmidt-Rempel told council on Tuesday that the matter brought forward by councillor Ryan Parker during July 5 discussions included Ukrainians fleeing their country as refugees.

But she was contacted shortly thereafter by a group working with Ukrainians coming here to escape their country that they are coming under the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel Program and aren’t considered refugees because they do intend to return to their home country when it’s safe.

“So that means that they do not have the required refugee paperwork that they would need to apply for our bus passes,” said Schmidt-Rempel as she asked council to update its motion.

Parker thanked Schmidt-Rempel for working on the matter and coming back to council with it.

Councillor John Middleton-Hope sought clarification, saying a number of people are moving to the city and region from a range of locations around the world, some designated as refugees while others aren’t. Some need help and others don’t, he said, and the motion seems to be “fairly exclusive in terms of who we’re willing to provide bus passes for. Is that a fair assessment or not?”

The deputy mayor said council is looking at refugees so the motion considers all who come here.

“I think the specificity around Ukrainians is perhaps separate from that and we do have to include them as a separate group because they are coming to Canada under a separate program and are not considered refugees and offered the same opportunities that refugees are. So refugees would open it up to other newcomers and refugees that are coming here.

“So we have that program currently in place and the ability for refugees to apply for those programs but we don’t have our Ukrainian friends able to apply for those because they aren’t coming as refugees,” Schmidt-Rempel said.

“The intent was always to include Ukrainians under this legislation and really what this is doing is making sure that they are included there, offering some clarification that they are coming under a different program and enabling them that opportunity to get bus passes to get to those doctor’s appointments, that’s one of the necessary things they have to do as soon as they get here and other necessary appointments right off the bat, helping them to sort of get their leg up as they work through a very difficult time in their lives,” said Schmidt-Rempel in support of her motion.

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