BC Business
VIA Rail cuts | BCBusinessVIA Rail will axe 200 jobs and reduce its passenger services across Canada due to federal budget cuts.
The rail service plans to let go nine per cent of its workforce after brutal budget cuts left VIA scrambling to reduce costs. Canadians have now started to see the effects of the most recent federal budget. VIA Rail, one of the victims of the budget’s brutal cuts, announced Wednesday it will lay off 200 workers and adjust its passenger services.
Canadians have now started to see the effects of the most recent federal budget. VIA Rail, one of the victims of the budget’s brutal cuts, announced Wednesday it will lay off 200 workers and adjust its passenger services. The Harper government’s newest budget slashed VIA’s budget by $6.5 million for 2012, and another $15.1 million for 2013, bringing the total cuts to $40 million over the next three years. With millions in funding cuts and a lag in revenues due to an off season, it’s no wonder the passenger service has to hand out hundreds of pink slips. While VIA said it won’t change or cut any entire routes, but it will cut back on the number of trips for certain routes. An example is the route from Montreal to Halifax, which will go from six round trips per week to just three. Other cities to see reduced trips are London, Kitchener, Aldershot and Niagara Falls.