Coquitlam city hall will press TransLink for special school buses on Burke Mountain in September.
This month, School District 43 said because of funding shortfalls, it will no longer be paying for school buses in the Tri-Cities.
The decision will pose a problem for the 175 students on Burke who attend Leigh elementary, Minnekhada and Kwayhquitlum middle schools, and Terry Fox secondary, council said.
Coun. Craig Hodge, a Burke resident and father of three, said he'll have to pay $52 a month per child to put them on public transit. And bus #188 only goes as far as Coast Meridian Road and David Avenue.
Coun. Brent Asmundson, a Coast Mountain bus driver who also lives on Burke, said Fox currently has special school buses up to Burke. With the extra demand come September, he would like to see #188 extended up the mountain.
Coun. Mae Reid said the Coquitlam board of education should have waited on bus service cuts until another elementary school was built on Burke.
Other Coquitlam news:
PARTY ZONE
Coquitlam's Canada Day party will give outside groups a chance to see Town Centre Park as a festival zone and possibly host future events.
On Monday, council-in-committee heard from staff about the July 1 fete that last year drew around 60,000 people from around the region.
City council and staff want to turn Town Centre Park, its fields and amenities into a major tourist destination, especially for sporting events.
The Canada Day party - which starts at noon and ends with fireworks at 10 p.m. - is budgeted at $180,000 this year. And to avoid Evergreen Line construction, the celebrations will be moved to the field at the far north end of the park.
The temporary festival site will also host the BC Seniors' Games and the city's 125th birthday party in 2016, as well as Canada's 150th birthday in 2017.
By 2018, the festival zone will return to the heart of Town Centre Park - Lafarge Lake - and will include a water stage, the committee heard.
