Inverness Council wants to examine the finances of Strait Area Transit before deciding how much to contribute.
District 6 Councillor John MacLennan said during a recent meeting of the Strait Area Transit
board, he asked why Inverness and Richmond counties contributed $100,000 each annually, but Port Hawkesbury provides in-kind funding.
Warden Laurie Cranton said he raised the issue with Port Hawkesbury Mayor Brenda Chisholm-Beaton.
He said the new fully accessible bus recently purchased by Strait Area Transit will mainly serve Inverness County.
Cranton also noted that COVID-19 has also been a challenge for SAT.
The warden said another challenge is that SAT is not allowed to provide service in Port Hawkesbury because it cannot interfere with existing taxi service.
But for some reason, MacLennan said Port Hawkesbury residents can use SAT to travel outside the town.
District 1 Councillor Alfred Poirier and Deputy Warden Bonny MacIsaac pointed out that SAT vehicles are taking users to the town where they spend money at Port Hawkesbury businesses.
MacLennan agreed with the warden that since the municipality is already supporting a public transit service in Chéticamp, their contribution should be fair.