1

FairCalgaryCommunityVoices
SummaryofCommunityEngagementon
TheCityofCalgarysFairCalgaryRecommendations

September2012

Submissionto:
TerryWilson
ProjectLead,FairCalgaryProject
TheCityofCalgary

2

TableofContents

I. AboutFairCalgaryCommunityVoices...........................................................................3

II. SummaryofEngagement....................................................................................................4

III. SummaryofForumFeedback
Singleentry.......................................................................................................................4
Commonincomecutoff................................................................................................5
Familypass........................................................................................................................6
Commonpercentagediscounts..................................................................................6
Slidingfeescale...............................................................................................................7

IV. FairFaresOnlineSurveyResponses...............................................................................8

V. QuestionnaireResponses....................................................................................................15

AppendixIDetailedsummariesofforumsheldbyFairCalgaryCommunityVoicesmembers

AppendixIIFairCalgaryCommunityVoicesEngagementToolkit
3

I. AboutFairCalgaryCommunityVoices
In }anuaiy 2u12, a gioup of community-baseu oiganizations came togethei to leain about the
iecommenuations being investigateu unuei the Faii Calgaiy Pioject. In iecognizing the positive
impact these iecommenuations woulu have on Calgaiians, we ueteimineu to woik togethei unuei
the name FairCalgaryCommunityVoices to collect anu cooiuinate feeuback fiom Calgaiians
affecteu by ieuuceu usei fees anu uiffeiential fees. 0iganizations actively engageu in FairCalgary
CommunityVoices incluue:

Aspen Family Seivices
Calgaiy Chinese Elueily Citizen's Association
Bisability Action Ball
Immigiant Sectoi Council of Calgaiy
Faii Faies
0niteu Way of Calgaiy anu Aiea
vibiant Communities Calgaiy
Women's Centie of Calgaiy

The following iecommenuations aie baseu on the feeuback we have collecteu fiom a wiue-iange of
Calgaiians uiiectly affecteu by these fees, incluuing seniois, people with uisabilities, vulneiable
youth, new Canauians, iefugees, women, seivice pioviueis, anu othei inuiviuuals with low-incomes.
We woulu like to thank The City of Calgaiy foi consiueiing these voices as we woik togethei to
impiove the accessibility anu affoiuability of City seivices.

Single Entiy
Requiie only one application foim to ueteimine eligibility foi all ieuuceu usei fees, intiouuce moie
ways to apply (mail-in, online, etc.) anu inciease the numbei of locations that accept applications.

Common Income Cut-0ff
Establish one common income cut-off foi all ieuuceu usei fee piogiams, iegaiuless of age.

Family Pass
Intiouuce a 'Family Pass' foi families who cannot affoiu to puichase passes foi each family
membei.

Common Peicentage Biscounts
Establish common uiscounts foi all uiffeiential fees anu ieuuceu usei fees.

Sliuing Fee Scale
Intiouuce a sliuing fee scale, iecognizing that some householus can affoiu to pay moie than otheis.

4

II. SummaryofEngagement

Community Engagement Nethous

Fiom Nay to August 2u12 membeis of FairCalgaryCommunityVoices collecteu feeuback fiom 22u
inuiviuuals on the iecommenuations being investigateu by City Auministiation aiounu ieuuceu
usei fees anu uiffeiential fees. Paiticipants incluueu seniois, people with uisabilities, vulneiable
youth, new Canauians, iefugees, women, seivice pioviueis, anu inuiviuuals with low-incomes who
aie uiiectly affecteu by these fees.

Nethous of collecting feeuback incluueu 9 facilitateu foiums, an online suivey, anu questionnaiies
ueliveieu at seivice agencies, the annual Social }ustice Encountei helu at the Cential Public Libiaiy,
anu the Calgaiy Immigiant Women's Association's Inteinational Women's Bay Celebiation.

Numbeis Engageu
Forums
Date Forum
Numberof
Participants
Nay-12 Calgaiy Chinese Elueily Citizen's Association (S) 46
14-Nay-12 Women's Centie Foium 8
2S-Nay-12 Immigiant Seiving Agencies - Staff Foium 21
}un-12 Bisability Action Ball Foiums (2) S7
6-}un-12 Woouiiuge Youth Foium 4S
2S-}ul-12 Young Nom's Council S
Total Foium Paiticipants (Facilitatois not incluueu) 162
WrittenResponsestoQuestionnaires,Surveys,etc.
S8
TotalEngaged 22u


III. SummaryofForumFeedback
Thefollowingisasummaryofallfeedbackgatheredduringthe9forums,organizedaccordingtoeach
areaofrecommendation.

SingleEntry
Asingleentrysystemwouldrequireapplicantstocompleteonlyoneapplicationformforallreduced
userfeesprovidedbyTheCity,andwouldprovidevariousoptionsforsubmittingtheapplications,
includingmultiplelocationsacrossTheCity.

Allparticipantsprovidingfeedbackonasingleentrysystemwereinfavouroffillingout
onlyoneapplicationformforallreduceduserfeesataccessiblelocations.

Theie is oveiwhelming suppoit foi a single-entiy system fiom foium paiticipants because of the
immense amount of timeinuiviuuals woulu save as a iesult. Inuiviuuals that live in poveity expenu
a huge amount of time anu eneigy in oiuei to access basic neeus suppoit. Less time spent tiaveling
anu filling out complicateu application foims, means moie time foi inuiviuuals to spenu engaging
economically, socially anu politically within theii communities anu the Calgaiy community at laige.

Wewanttospendlesstimeinlineupsandmoretimeasactivecitizens.
5

Itwouldbegoodtogetallprogramsmailingthediscountstopeoplewithdisabilities.Thenyou
wouldnthavetowaitinalonglineeverymonth,ifIwasworkingIwouldlosemyjobtryingtobuymy
pass.

Itisreallyhardandtimeconsumingtogoapplyforalowincomebuspass,especiallyifyouhave
kids.

Some finu the papeiwoik fiustiating, oi uifficult to unueistanu, especially if English is not an
inuiviuual's fiist language. The application foims aie founu to be time-consuming, stiessful,
complicateu anu haiu to unueistanu. Some eligible inuiviuuals uo not apply because the piocess is
too complicateu. All of these factois leau to feelings of fiustiation. Nany believe that a single entiy
system woulu significantly ieuuce feelings of fiustiation anu leau to incieaseu feelings of uignity.

Theprogramswouldbemoreaccessibleiftheformswouldnotbesoscaryhardtofillout.

Iwouldreallyliketoseemultiplelocationsandoneapplicationform.Everyoneelsecanbuytheir
passesatanyMacsor7Eleven,butrightnowthereareonlytwolocationsintheCitytopickupyour
lowincomebuspass.
Clientswhohaveliteracyorlanguageissuesfindthisverystressful.Theyhavetoconstantlylookfor
aninterpreterforeveryappointmenttheyhaveandsometimes,becauseoflackofinterpreter,they
missanopportunitybenefitingfromasubsidizedprogram.
ItissohumiliatingtobeaskedsimilarquestionsforeverysubsidyIhavetoapply.Itmakesmefeel
likeIamabeggar,disabledandinvasionofmyprivacy.Whycantthegovernmenthaveonesystem
insteadofduplicating?
Theprocessistoocomplicated.Iwouldprefernottoapply,asIhavetocollectalltheinformationand
alltheforms.Somepeoplemaythinktheycantaketimetocollectalltheinformationtoapply,but
therearealotofpeoplewouldrathernottoapplybecauseofthecomplicatedprocess.
CommonIncomeCutOff
AcommonincomecutoffwouldmeanthateligibilityforallofTheCitysreduceduserfeeswouldbe
determinedusingthesameincomecutoff.

Allindividualsthatprovidedfeedbackonthecommonincomecutoffwereinfavourofthis
recommendation,asitwouldmaketheseprogramsmorefair,equitableandlessconfusing.

The following example pioviueu by a foium paiticipant exemplifies the neeu foi this change:

A single mothei came to Canaua in 2u1u with five chiluien. She has a full time job in a factoiy, anu
hei yeaily income is aiounu $42,Suu. Bei five chiluien aie attenuing school. She is appioveu foi the
Fee Assistance Piogiam, but when she went to apply foi low-income bus pass, she was uenieu,
because hei income is too high accoiuing to the ciiteiia of the Calgaiy Tiansit. The client is veiy
fiustiateu. She believes theie shoulu be one common income cut-off foi eveiy family.

6


Iwouldqualifyforalloftheprograms.JustbecauseImpoordoesntmeanIcantgoenjoysomeof
thethingsinthisworld.Likethesciencecentre.IfIcouldgetonabusIcouldgolookattheCity.And
maybeifIhadmybuspassmaybeIcouldhavehadajob10monthsago.

Theprocessisverycomplicated.Tobuythetransitpass,Ihavetoapply;togoswimming,Ihaveto
applyagain.AndeverytimeIgothroughtheapplicationprocess,Ihavetofindotherpeopletohelp.It
isveryhardforus(seniors)toalwaysaskotherpeopleforhelp.Wedontknowthelanguage,wedont
havethecomputerskills,andwedontevenknowwheretogettheapplicationforms.

FamilyPass
Ifeligible,familymemberswouldbeabletouseonepassatadiscountedrate.

Feedbackfromtheforumsshowedstrongsupportforafamilypass.

The cuiient system has ageu-baseu uisciepancies which pievent many fiom accessing the
subsiuies. Nany low income Calgaiian families oi householus aie only able to access subsiuies foi
some, but not all, of theii family membeis. By making passes moie affoiuable foi a family to access,
they woulu not have to make the uifficult choice of puichasing a pass foi only one family membei.
This woulu allow moie family membeis to benefit fiom City seivices, piogiams, uoctois, school &
woik, anu fiom getting out into the community to socialize anu stay healthy.

Whyshouldyouthpaymorethantheirparents?

"Familypasswouldallowalargerfamilytotraveltogetheracrossthecity"

...Iamasinglemompayingalmost$100[forbuspasses]IamonAISH.Itistoomuchformetopay.I
havetopay54.25formysonand$40formyself.WhenmydaughterturnssixIwillhavetopay
another$54.25andIcantaffordallthreebuspasses.Icantaffordtogetthebuspassesasitisnow.
ThatiswhyIthinkafamilypasswouldbegood.

CommonPercentageDiscount
Acommonpercentagediscountwouldmeanreduceduserfeesandagebaseddifferentialfeeswould
besetatthesamepercentagediscountacrossallbusinessunits.

Themajorityofforumparticipantswereinfavourofacommonpercentagediscount,asit
wouldmakeTheCityssubsidiesfair,straightforward,and,formany,moreaffordable.

The iange of uiscounts pioviueu to uiffeient age gioups, income gioups, anu piogiams is founu to
be confusing. It is also seen to be unfaii to ieceive a lowei uiscount in one piogiam than in anothei.
If the uiscounts offeieu weie moie stiaightfoiwaiu, people woulu have an easiei time buugeting
anu making plans. Common peicentage uiscounts woulu mean that, if a youth weie not eligible foi
7

the Low Income Tiansit Pass, they woulu still ieceive the same uiscount by puichasing a Youth
Tiansit Pass. This woulu biing faiiness to the subsiuy system.

Thiswouldmaketheprocessaloteasiertounderstand

Itwouldmakesensetogetthesamediscountonallprograms

SlidingFeeScale
Forthoselivingonalowincome,aslidingscalewouldprovideincreasinglygreaterdiscountsthe
lowertheincomecategoryanapplicantfallsinto.

Mostforumparticipantsstronglysupportedaslidingfeescaleasitrecognizesthereisa
widerangeinpeoplesabilitytopayforfees,andhelpsensureCityservicesaremore
affordableforpeoplelivingonlowincomes.

A sliuing scale woulu help a lot of inuiviuuals with low-incomes if fees weie baseu on what they can
affoiu to pay. Foi example, a sliuing scale woulu woik well foi the following inuiviuuals:

A husbanu anu wife aiiiveu in Canaua a yeai ago. Both paients go to English school full-time, so
with theii limiteu income they aie having uifficulties affoiuing the $4u ieuuceu bus pass fee. "Even
thoughthefareisreduced,butIstillcannotafforditfor2people."

IamsingleladyonAlbertaWorksandmyincomeis$677amonth.Myrentis$400andIneedtobuy
foodandpayformyphone.Idohavealowbuspass,butIhavenotenoughmoneyattheendofthe
monthtopayforthelowbuspasstransit.
A client who came as a Convention Refugee has been in Canaua since 2uu9. She is cuiiently
stuuying English in oiuei to be able to finu a job in the futuie. The client has maue enoimous
piogiess but she is still woiking towaius impiovement. Bue to language anu cultuial baiiieis as
well as lack of time, she is not cuiiently woiking. She ielies on Income Suppoit, ieceiving $S14.uu a
month foi all hei living expenses, incluuing ient, which is $SSu.uu. When it comes to buugeting foi
the month, even the low-income bus pass ($4u.uu) is too expensive anu almost impossible to
puichase eveiy month.

Useaslidingscalebecausesomepeoplehavelessincomethanothersdo.

Causewhenpeopleareonafixedincome,themoneyisgoneinaday,notincludingthecostof
transit

Paywhatyoucan:Useaslidingscalebecausesomepeoplehavelessincomeandmorechildrenthan
othersdo.

8

IV. FairFaresOnlineSurveyResponses

Faii Faies, a membei of Faii Calgaiy Community voices, posteu a suivey on theii website
http:faiifaiescalgaiy1.blogspot.ca to collect feeuback on the Faii Calgaiy Recommenuations.
Below aie iesponses to the suivey fiom 2S iesponuents.

1.WhichoftheCityofCalgarysubsidyprogramshaveyou:

Heard
About
Applied
for
Received Response
Count
Animalspay/neuterprogram 87.S% (7) u.u% (u) 12.S% (1) 8
CityLinksforSeniors 1uu.u% (S) u.u% (u) u.u% (u) S
PropertyTaxAssistance 1uu.u% (S) u.u% (u) u.u% (u) S
RecreationalFeeAssistance 8S.S% (1u) 2S.u% (S) 2S.u% (S) 12
TransitLowincomemonth
pass
86.7% (1S) 2u.u% (S) 1S.S% (2) 1S
Transitseniorsannualpass
reducedrate
66.7% (2) SS.S% (1) ) u.u% (u) S

2.Haveyouorsomeoneyouknowtriedtoaccessanyofthesubsidiesbutfacedbarriers?If
so,pleasetelluswhathappened?

I have. Some places like Calgaiy tiansit office, anu city hall take checks as a methou of payment foi
the low income bus pass but village squaie leisuie centei uoes not making it haiu foi me to get my
bus pass in my own neighboihoou. I have a haiu time getting aiounu the city uue to my uisability.
The fact that I have to go out of my community just to get my pass is tiouble some. I also uon't like
the fact that the fee assistance caiu has to be ieneweu annually. I am on AISB. I was on AISB evei
since I applieu foi both the low-income bus pass anu the fee assistance caiu. I uon't unueistanu
why uo I have to apply sepaiately foi the low-income bus pass anu foi the fee assistance caiu. I also
uon't unueistanu why I got to ie-apply just foi the fee assistance caiu annually. Ny income is still
fiom AISB. It shoulu be that people on AISB shoulu not have to ie-apply foi that subsiuy piogiam. I
also noticeu that AISB went up iecently anu that piobably some people who just got AISB anu have
applieu foi the low income bus pass seniois low income bus pass anu fee assistance caiu woulu
not qualify foi those seivices because of theii iaiseu income. They shoulu fix that by saying
eveiyone on AISB shoulu automatically be able to ieceive the fee assistance caiu, anu low-income
bus pass, anu the seniois low income bus pass. I still finu the low-income bus pass cost to be too
high. I have to choose between getting meuical tieatment, paying ient foou utilities oi buying the
pass- all of which I neeu to uo to suivive in this city. The houis to buy the bus pass shoulu be the
same at all city owneu locations. They shoulu be matching the houis that the city of Calgaiy location
is open. Foi example at village Squaie leisuie centei anu South Lanu Leisuie Centei people can buy
the bus pass till 4pm on weekuays, anu till 11 am on weekenus- this shoulu change! They shoulu be
able to buy all the buss passes uuiing the village Squaie Leisuie Centei's iegulai houis of
opeiation! These centeis shoulu accept cheques just like city hall anu Calgaiy Tiansit uo! I have
taken cheques many times ovei the yeais to village Squaie Leisuie Centei to puichase my low-
9

income bus pass. 0p until last Nov. The woikei that issueu me the cheque continues to senu clients
with cheques theie to puichase theii own low-income bus pass. The staff theie has huit my feelings
in public by scieaming at me anu has yet to apologize foi theii behavioi. They saiu they uon't accept
cheques. They saiu Calgaiy Tiansit uoes not accept cheques foi the bus passes yet since Nov. I have
puichase the }anuaiy, Feb, Naich, anu Apiil anu Nay bus pass fiom City Ball anu Calgaiy Tiansit
with my cheque without any tiouble. City of Calgaiy neeus to stieamline all theii seivices anu tiain
all theii staff to make suie that theii seivice is consistent city wiue, they also neeu to tiain the
village Squaie Leisuie Centei staff to be fiienuliei towaius theii customeis.
6S2u12 8:12 PN

Peisonally, I believe all people ieceiving AISB Welfaie & Any soit of goveinment suppoit shoulu
have a bus pass maileu with theii stubs monthly! The veiy iuea they neeu to apply foi it biinging
theii stub is fiustiating. Especially when they have much biggei stiesses in theii lives. The most
fiustiating situation is youth who live in goveinment caie oi who aie homeless. 0ften they uo not
ieceive a bus pass oi cannot get one at a subsiuizeu cost because lack of paiental suppoit oi no IB.
These youth iisk iiuing with out a pass anu get tickets. The tickets cannot be paiu because
they aie homeless oi in caie anu then they get a waiiant! It's a ievolving uooi of stiess anu uebt.
Calgaiy Tiansit shoulu allow youth who aie in caie oi homeless an alteinate methou of payment oi
some foigiveness foi homeless. Bomeless youth aie most likely the numbei 1 tiansit ticket
iecipients anu as a Calgaiian I feel uisgusteu by this situation.
6S2u12 1:21 PN

Biu not know till now about any of the othei piogiams. This is 2u12, uiun't even know about the
othei ones. Still not suie what they about.
1S42u12 8:1S PN

Language is a huge baiiiei foi all hei stuuents. Nost of my stuuents this yeai have the low-income
bus pass. But last yeai they hau to wait a yeai until they hau this yeai's tax assessment. Some
waiteu almost a yeai anu a half to two yeais.
8S2u12 2:47 PN

Bas not heaiu of any subsiuies anu is a welcomeu anu woulu piefei to apply I peison. Biu not know
about the piogiam.
8S2u12 2:4S PN

Boesn't have a job. This yeai neeus it but because of hei income last yeai she cannot apply.
8S2u12 2:42 PN

They aie a newcomei anu uiu not have last yeais tax assessment
8S2u12 2:4u PN

All hei stuuents aie immigiants anu have faceu baiiieis because of not have tax assessments
8S2u12 2:S6 PN
10

Some people know about fee assistance. Nost of the seivices uo not apply to me
8S2u12 1:4S PN

0ui counselois may know. But I uon't as I uiive. I can take infoimation. We sometimes get bus
passes uonateu.
8S2u12 1:S2 PN

I just quit my job anu my income is ovei. I woulu apply if I coulu.
8S2u12 1:u9 PN

People piefei to apply in peison anu be connecteu to immigiant seiving connections
8S2u12 1:u8 PN

Chinese seniois sponsoieu by chiluien we uo not apply.
8S2u12 11:S1 AN

Not heaiu of any subsiuies.
8S2u12 11:1S AN

I uiu not know about fee assistance
8S2u12 1u:S7 AN

No. I am a pait time stuuent
8S2u12 1u:S4 AN

I uiun't apply because I am highei income but I have heaiu of the piogiams.
8S2u12 1u:4S AN

3.Whichoftheapplicationmethodsdoyouuse?
Most Least ResponseCount
Mail Su.u% (2) Su.u% (2) 4
Online 8u.u% (8 2u.u% (2) 1u
Fax Su.u% (2 Su.u% (2) 4
Phone 7S.u% (S) 2S.u% (1) 4
Inperson 84.6% (11) 1S.4% (2) 1S
Other 66.7% (2) SS.S% (1) S

4.Whattypeofproofofincomewouldyouisabletouse?
AISB Bealth Benefits caiu
6S2u12 8:12 PN

I woulu piefei one pay stub oi tax assessment but only one oi the othei.
6S2u12 1:21 PN
11


Pay stubs, oi seniois stuff.
1S42u12 8:1S PN

Income tax assessment aftei one yeai. 0theiwise nothing
8S2u12 2:47 PN

I uon't have any pioof of income. I am going to school anu I have school anu I have lanueu
immigiant status papeis.
8S2u12 2:4S PN

Employment assistance
8S2u12 2:42 PN

Bau last yeais tax assessment
8S2u12 2:S8 PN

In peison is best. Tax ietuin anu lettei fiom social woikei
8S2u12 2:SS PN

Bepenus on the peisons mobility, I woikeu with senioi foi five yeais so mobility issues. People aie
askeu to ovei pioveu the piogiam anu make suie they aie eligible like the AISB caiu. uoou checks
8S2u12 1:49 PN

I think veiy few people aie not going tonqualifynfoin1S a yeai. It is haiu anu computei access is
haiu. By the time people aie iefeiieu to women's centie they alieauy have assessments
8S2u12 1:4S PN

uive infoimation to counselois.
8S2u12 1:S2 PN

A teachei can fill out ESL at bow valley foim.
8S2u12 1:17 PN

Appointments aie maue anu oui uoctois speak othei languages, the phone poses uifficulty.
8S2u12 1:u9 PN

Appointments aie maue anu oui uoctois speak othei languages, the phone poses uifficulty.
8S2u12 1:u8 PN

Income tax, lettei of suppoit
8S2u12 11:27 AN

12

Talking to someone
8S2u12 11:1S AN

I piefei to apply in peison because of the language baiiiei.
8S2u12 1u:S7 AN

Biu not know about fee assistance
8S2u12 1u:S4 AN

I know income tax assessment is the best way howevei it is a haiu uocument to use.
8S2u12 1u:4S AN

5.Whatdoyoulikeanddislikeaboutthecurrenteligibilityrequirements?
Since the income AISB clients ieceive went up, as well as the income they eain befoie ueuuctions
went up too- new people applying foi subsiuies may fall thiough the ciacks since they no longei
qualify foi the subsiuies such as fee assistance, low income bus pass, low income seniois pass anu
othei subsiuy piogiams even though AISB has not been iaiseu to the national low income cut off
line (LIC0) anu has not been inuexeu to the cost of living each yeai by
oui piovincial goveinment.
6S2u12 8:12 PN

Too many hoops to jump thiough anu the piocess takes a lot of time.
6S2u12 1:21 PN

Ny uaughtei is 1$ ovei anu is not eligible foi any subsiuies at all, as she makes too much. She has
thiee kius, with no living wage! Anu all the bills anu ient. She uoes have a job though, but still foi a
couple of $'s she not eligible foi none of them.
1S42u12 8:1S PN

Baving to wait foi last yeais tax assessment to get the tiansit pass
8S2u12 2:47 PN

Too stiict oi iigiu anu cannot use EI iight now
8S2u12 2:42 PN

Biun't know othei not having last yeais tax assessment
8S2u12 2:4u PN

No pioblem
8S2u12 2:S8 PN

Newcomeis uon't have tax ietuins
8S2u12 2:SS PN
13


0ne stop shopping anu we neeu moie suppoits foi the family bus pass as the chiluien is pooi. Kius
neeu it moie in the summei once they aie in high school.
8S2u12 1:4S PN

Albeita EI piogiamming, is the city coming foith about what is available.
8S2u12 1:S2 PN

Restiictions
8S2u12 11:27 AN

We aie newcomeis we aie looking foi woik I am new anu I uon't know how.
8S2u12 11:1S AN

Ny son hau to help me apply foi things.
8S2u12 1u:S7 AN

Bave easiei ways to apply with easy foim anu of pioofs of income.
8S2u12 1u:4S AN

6.Doyouhaveanyfurthercommentsabouttheapplicationandrenewalprocessandwhya
subsidyisimportantforyou?Wouldyoubewillingtoshareyourexperiences?Ifso,please
provideyourcontactinformation.

The city shoulu stieamline theii seivices so that no mattei wheie Calgaiians go (whethei it be city
hall, leisuie centeis, Calgaiy tiansit office, city pools aienas, etc.) they can apply foi the fee
assistance anu low-income bus pass uuiing iegulai business houis 7 uays a week. With the low
income bus pass IB numbei anu a photo IB people shoulu be able to puichase the low income bus
pass fiom all bus pass venuois (foi example Co-op, Safeway, Nac's, 7-11, Shoppeis Biug Nait etc.)
They shoulu also be able to apply foi the fee assistance caiu fiom all city owneu fitness centeis
aienas pool anu City Ball. 0n behalf of my paients who aie seniois. They along with othei seniois
shoulu be able to puichase the iegulai seniois pass anu the low income seniois pass at all stoies
that sell the bus passes (see what I mentioneu above) those passes shoulu be accepteu on Access
Calgaiy as well. It shoulu also be easy foi people with uisabilities anu seniois to puichase all the bus
passes online as well. Each venuoi shoulu be able to help seniois anu people with uisabilities
6S2u12 8:12 PN

You have to wait foi yi tax assessments to see if you qualify. I believe the lines oi ciiteiia shoulu
change. The amounts foi eligibility I mean. as foi a couple of uollais my uaughtei just not eligible
foi none. that's ciazy foi suie. haiu enough to stiuggle to make enus meet anu then have to fight
with the foou bank cause of all the bills foi thiee kius with no living wages. anu such a stupiu
licoLIC0 line. fiom when 191u.
1S42u12 8:1S PN
14

Biun't like that they hau to use the assessment
8S2u12 2:4u PN

People who aie homeless uon't have an auuiess anu what uo people uo to fill out the foim
8S2u12 2:SS PN

Pamphlets foiums ate goou ways to leain
8S2u12 1:49 PN

The piice foi inuiviuual tickets is so high that the bus pass is attiactive. Single iiue uiscounteu
tickets aie a goou iuea. We like the iueas tiansit is coming out with like the connect caiu.
8S2u12 1:4S PN

I moveu uowntown so I woulu not have to pay foi so much. Shelteis get people fiom all socio
economic iesouices but have no vehicle. You have to know what to ask foi anu theie is huge
language baiiiei
8S2u12 1:S2 PN

Wanteu moie infoimation about fee assistance. Want to know when people apply
8S2u12 1:17 PN

We aie uoing infoimation sessions geaieu towaius theii language foi expectant motheis. We help
people with www.womensclinic.com. Womensclinicgmail.com
8S2u12 1:u9 PN

We aie uoing infoimation sessions geaieu towaius theii language foi expectant motheis. We help
people with www.womensclinic.com. Womensclinicgmail.com
8S2u12 1:u8 PN

Subsiuy piogiams aie a neeu so that families anu inuiviuuals of all kinus can access the same level
of suppoit
8S2u12 11:27 AN

I like having a peison to talk to. I woulu like my family to apply foi piopeity ax assistance as he is a
senioi anu I am low-income.
8S2u12 1u:S7 AN

I pay foi a monthly 9u pass but I woulu like to woik out. I uiu not qualify foi the low-income bus
pass.
8S2u12 1u:S4 AN

A single entiy system makes sense.
8S2u12 1u:4S AN
15

V. QuestionnaireResponses

Haveyoutriedtoaccessanyofthesediscountsforyourselforsomeoneinyourfamily,but
facedbarriers(eg.didntqualify,tooexpensive,etc.)?Describethebarriersyoufacedand
howthisimpactedyourlife.

Iworkwithhighriskandlowincomeyouthandwehaveahugenumberofyouththatcannotafford
evenalowincomebuspass.Theirincomeisneverenoughtocoverrent,foodandnecessities.

ForrightnowImunder18sothereforemysocialworkerpaysformybuspasses,butinafewmonthsI
willbe18andbecutoff.

Imake26,000ayearanddontqualifyfortheLowIncomeTransitPassandcannotdrivebecauseofa
disability.Ineedtotaketransit.Icanmakeitwork,butwhatifIhadchildren?

Asacommunityworkerittakesalotoftimetofilloutformsforclientsandwaitinlinewiththem.All
formsforCitysubsidiesshouldhavethesameinformationandshouldonlyrequireoneform.

TheLowIncomeTransitPassisstilltooexpensive.IbuyticketsbecausethepasscoststoomuchandI
cantpay$40.00allatoncewhenyouneedgroceries.

Howwoulditimpactyourlifeifyoucouldreceiveabetterdiscountfortheseservices?

IcouldgettomoreplacesifIcouldbetteraffordtransit.

Whyshouldpeoplewhoarehomelesshavetopayfortransittheyneedtogettoservicesthatcanget
themoutofhomelessness!

Idbeabletogettomyappointmentsandplacesformychildmucheasier.Idbebetterabletopayfor
itwithoutbeingtoohard.

Moneywouldgotohelpmychildandthingswouldbemucheasier.Alsotransfershouldbealittle
longerthan1.5hrs.

Itwouldbewayeasiertoattendappointmentsandattendsocialfunctions.Wouldalsomakeiteasier
tobudgetandaffordnecessities.

Youthwouldbemoreabletobudgetandaffordthenecessities.Theywouldntgetasmanytransit
ticketsandwouldbemoreabletoaffordtocareforthemselvesandtheirchildren.

Icouldprovidemoreneedsformychild.

16

IsTransitforYouthtooexpensive?Howdoesthisaffectyouandyourfamilyslife?Ifyouare
ayouthworker,howdoesitaffecttheyouthyouworkwith?

Imanadultwhoispregnantandhavea2yearoldonsubsidythebuspassis$40whichisthepriceof
twocansofformulaformychild,or2or3bagsofdiapers.ThesearenecessitiesIneedformychildren
thatmakeithardtoaffordabuspass.

Ontopofthatabusticketonlylasts90minutesandittakeanhourtogettosomeappointments,so
Imspending$5.50for1triptothedoctors.

Yes,youthpassistooexpensive.Whenwehadtroubleswithmoneyitwasveryhard.Moneyistight.

ThepriceofticketsimpactstheyouthIworkwithgreatly.Itisveryimportantforclientstomake
appointmentstogethousing,food,healthcare,etc.andiftheycantaffordthetransitpricetheymiss
thoseappointmentswhichdelaysthemreceivingthehelpthattheyneed.

Transitpassesforyoutharemuchtooexpensiveandthismakesithardforyouthtogetaroundthe
city,attendappointments,etc.Youthoftenmissmeetingsandappointmentsduetonothavingbus
fare.Iftheybuyabuspassitmightmeantheycantafforddiapersfortheirbabyorfood.Manyyouth
thenjumpthetrainsandgetticketsthattheycantaffordtopay.

Theseniorspassshouldbemoreequitable.

Whyshouldyouthpaymorethantheirparents?

Transitisexpensive.Itcostsalottomaintainthewholesystem,butitshouldatleastbemore
reasonableforcitizenstoaffordit.

Yes,itistooexpensive.Handicappedchildrenshouldnothvetopayfortransitiftheyareunder18and
goingtoprograms.

Theantiyouthpoliciesofmanylevelsmunicipal,federalreflectthisfactthatunder25yearsolds
tendnottovote.Theresalackofpoliticalactivismandalienationamongyouth.

WhatwoulditmeanforyouandyourfamilyifTransitforYouthwaslessexpensive?Ifyou
areayouthworker,whatwoulditmeanfortheyouthyouworkwith?

Itwouldmakeitmucheasierformyfamilytogetaround,toactuallygettoappointmentsand
programsformychildren.

Moneywouldgofurtherandlastlonger.Itwouldgotowardsneedslikefood,etc.

17

FortheyouthIworkwith,cheaper,moreaffordabletransitwouldimprovetheirqualityoflifebecause
theywouldmakemoreoftheirappointmentsandreceivemorehelp.Theywouldhaventtopickand
choosebyprioritywhatappointmentstheycanaffordatomake.Theycanusethemoneythatis
normallyspendontransitonfood,rent,utilities,etc.

Icouldaffordmorethingsformyfamily.

18

Appenuix I
BelowaredetailedsummariesofforumsheldbyFairCalgaryCommunityVoicesmembers.

Forum: WoodridgeYouthForum(AspenFamilyServices)

Numbei of people consulteu: 4S

Basic Bemogiaphics (if collecteu): The majoiity of the paiticipants weie youth anu paients of
chiluien oi youth living on low incomes.

Top thiee highlights fiom consultation:

1. A gioup of 1S youth oiganizeu, facilitateu anu spoke at the foium to auuiess the issue of
affoiuability of city seivices foi low income youth anu families (with a stiong focus on
tiansit cost). They have been ieseaiching anu planning to auuiess this issue since
Septembei 2u11.
2. Families anu youth expeiiencing low income expiesseu the uaily impacts of unaffoiuable
city seivices incluuing:
a. Becieaseu civic engagement anu incieaseu social isolation thiough misseu: school,
afteischool oi iecieation piogiams, time with family anu fiienus, anu oppoitunities
to vote.
b. Bifficult Choices ie: Choosing between paying tiansit fees anu:
i. Buying foou anu clothing
ii. Attenuing meuical appointments
iii. Spenuing time with family (woiking extia houis to affoiu city seivices)
iv. Saving foi the futuie.
v. Youth also uiscusseu the neeu to choose between bieaking the law by not
paying foi city seivices anu getting to wheie they neeu to go.
Itimpactsourfutureifyoutharemissingschool,doctorsappointments,work,recreation,
church,community.[Itimpacts]societyasawhole.
-Paiticipant Feeuback

S. "Everyone[fromtheforum]feelsthesamewayaboutthecostoftransitforyouth.Youcant
getanywhereyouneedtobeifyoucantaffordtransit.Thishasanegativeimpactonpeoples
lives.
- Youth 0iganizei fiom the Woouiiuge Foium
Single-Entiy
Paiticipants felt a single entiy system woulu:
o Save time anu money
o Reuuceu fiustiation completing papeiwoik
19

o Inciease the numbei of people using the low income passes
o Pioviueu paiticipants with moie uignity
o Woulu be easiei to tianslate
o Woulu save papei be bettei foi the enviionment.
- Theprogramswouldbemoreaccessibleiftheformswouldnotbesoscaryhardtofill
out -Paiticipant Feeuback

Common income cut-off
Paiticipants felt the common income cut offs woulu make it easiei to unueistanu.
All[lowincomeprograms]shouldstartat100%ofLICO
-Paiticipant Feeuback
Family pass
Paiticipants felt stiongly that a family pass woulu impiove the affoiuability of City seivices
allowing families to: spenu moie time togethei, paiticipate in theii community, anu get to neeueu
places like uoctois, school, anu voting stations. Paiticipants also felt this woulu ieuuce financial
stiesses on low income anu lagei families.
- Afamilypasswouldimprovequalityoflifeformanypeopleandfamiliescouldenjoy
goingplacestogether
-Paiticipant Feeuback
Common peicentage uiscounts
Paiticipants felt stiongly that all piogiams shoulu have the same peicentage of uiscount.
-Thiswouldmaketheprocessaloteasiertounderstand.
- Paiticipant Feeuback

Sliuing fee scales
Paiticipants stiongly suppoiteu the iuea of a sliuing scale as it ensuies City seivices aie affoiuable
foi low income families anu youth.
- Definitely!Somepeoplecantaffordtopaythefullfarebecausetheydontmakealotof
moneyandmayhavealotofkidsthatallhavetobuyabuspass.Itwouldbebetterifit
wasbasedonincome.
- Paiticipant Feeuback

0thei iueas oi comments
Bignity: Nany families anu youth uiscusseu the effects unaffoiuable city seivices on theii
self woith.

Sometimesyouthhavetoasktheschoolforbusticketsortheycannotcome.Thisis
embarrassingandsomestudentsdontask
Itisembarrassingwhenyoucantaffordthefareandeffectsselfesteem.
20

Baiu Consequences: Families with low income aie foiceu between bieaking the law anu not
getting to theii neeueu locations.

"Sometimes youth have to beg the bus uiivei to get on the bus without paying.
Sometimes they say yes. Some youth uon't pay at all anu iisk getting into tiouble."

"$12S fine- if I can't pay the $1.7S what makes people thing you can affoiu a ticket."

"I was put in a holuing cell because I coulu not affoiu the cost of tiansit anu foi not
paying the fine"

Baiu Choices: Families with low income sometime neeu to choose between basic neeus anu
costs of City Seivices
"|Ij woulu iathei spenu $2.7S on a caiton of milk oi a loaf of bieau".

"We miss out on stuff as we can't affoiu it. 0ui paients have to woik uouble time to buy
oui passes".


Forum: WomensCentreForum

Numbei of people consulteu: 8

Single Entiy:

What I woulu like to see is.theie aie only two places to pick up a low-income tiansit pass. but
eveiyone else can buy them at all these places, likes 7 Eleven, Nacs - if I coulu get one at Nac's
I'u piobably have to fill out all this infoimation at Nacs but I wish theie weie moie places to
puichase the low-income tiansit pass

It woulu be much bettei if I uiun't have to go uowntown

I live on heiitage anu sometimes I uon't have a bus pass - it's haiu to get uowntown to apply -
when I uon't even have a pass

It woulu woik much bettei if it was in my community

I think eveiy community shoulu have a place - because theie aie lots of people that use a low-
income bus pass

-Long line ups to apply (an houi anu a half in line.to get it eveiy month)

8-1u uiffeient places in the City woulu be easiei

21

This way you can just go to one place anu fill out the application |foi all piogiamsj insteau of
going to one place anu then one place - all ovei the City

0ne place woulu be goou (thumbs up)

I can't speak, I hau an acciuent. I can't speak to people. I can talk to a little bit of people. I think I
can't talk to. I uon't talk to people. I feel humiliateu when I have to keep telling people ovei anu
ovei.

I think it was in maich, when I applieu foi my low-income bus pass, so they gave me a pass foi
Naich, but then saiu I coulun't be appioveu unless I gave them a phone numbei - so I went an
bought a phone. If you uon't have a phone numbei, you aie not going to be appioveu. Phones aie
expensive

They woulu nevei call you anyways

I uon't neeu a phone - I can't talk on it anyway - but I have one to talk a little bit

Common Income Cut-0ff

I always put people in my position, I weai people's shoes always anu I look aheau because when
you look at the situation about being in poveity, it takes me back to people that I woikeu with
befoie in my countiy. Bealth is the holistic state of the well-being of the human. You can fix one
pioblem - but you neeu to auuiess the othei factois

Low-income - the money they give you is sometimes not enough foi you - its only focuseu on
youi basic neeus but humans have othei neeus

Sometimes with the common income cut-off you have to take othei factois into account

In my case, I can't piove income anu I'u love to go back to woik - but I have to walk 4u blocks to
go look foi woik. If I weie eligible foi the low-income bus pass, I'u be able to finu a job.

}ust because I'm pooi - uoesn't mean I can't go enjoy some of the things in this woilu. Like the
science centie. If I coulu get on a bus - I coulu go look at the City. Anu maybe if I hau my bus pass
- maybe I coulu have hau a job 1u months ago.

I'm not asking foi a hanu-out, I just want a leg up

I hau a job befoie I hau the acciuent - I hau the stioke- anu I can't woik now anu I was going to
get income pass - but coulun't get it because my income the pievious yeai was too high


Family Pass
0ne 1 of the 8 paiticipants woulu be affecteu by this, as no one else hau chiluien living at home so
this was not uiscusseu in small gioups.

Common % Biscount

22

Buge convenience - especially foi those that aie mobility impaiieu - to be able to swipe the
same caiu foi eveiything

Sliuing Fee Scale
It makes sense - because this way, you'ie paying an equal amount

But then it uoesn't make sense eithei - because say, I'm making moie money than hei then that
means I have to pay moie

I think it's goou to be eligible foi a month insteau of a yeai (incase ciicumstances change -
uiffeient amount on sliuing scale)

Paiking Lot
It's impoitant to keep piivacy in minu when uesigning these policies (Connect Caiu - coulu theie
be a couit oiuei to tiack youi tiansit caiu foi the last month.)

What piotection aie they putting in place foi people's piivacy.

"It's getting to a point wheie theie isn't much piivacy in anything."

0iganization's Name: ImmigrantSectorCouncilofCalgarysForumwithSettlement

CounselorsfromCalgaryCatholicImmigrationSociety,CalgaryImmigrantWomens
Association,andtheEthnoculturalCouncilofCalgary

Numbei of people consulteu: 21 settlement counselois anu ethno-cultuial eluei biokeis

Basic Bemogiaphics (if collecteu): All the people consulteu woik with newcomeis anu ethno-
cultuial community membeis.

AffordabletransportationisabsolutelynecessaryforlowincomefamiliesandindividualsandCalgary
transitisgreattothisend.However,therecontinuetobehurdlesforsomeindividuals. - Resettlement
Counseloi

Single-Entiy
Single entiy woulu be gieat help anu woulu save time foi low-income clients fiom tiavelling
to uiffeient offices. They uon't unueistanu why they aie askeu foi uocumentation, anu
similai infoimation foi eveiy subsiuy they have to apply. Clientswhohaveliteracyor
languageissuesfindthisverystressful. They have to constantly look foi an inteipietei
foi eveiy appointment they have anu sometimes, because of lack of inteipietei, they miss
an oppoitunity fiom benefiting a subsiuizeu piogiam.
23

ItissohumiliatingtobeaskedsimilarquestionsforeverysubsidyIhavetoapply.Itmakesmefeel
likeIamabeggar,disabledandinvasionofmyprivacy.Whycantthegovernmenthaveonesystem
insteadofduplicating?
Thecounselorhelpedmetofilltheapplicationsforlowbuspassandthefeeassistanceprogram.Iam
nothappy,ittookmealotoftimetoapplyforthelowbuspass,Ihavetobeonthelineforabout1.5
hoursatthetransitofficeindowntown,andatthesametimeIneededtogoanddropmyapplication
forthefeeassistanceprogramstoafitnesscentre.

Common income cut-off
A common income cut-off acioss all low-income subsiuiseu piogiams at The City woulu be
veiy beneficial.
A single mothei came to Canaua in 2u1u with five chiluien. She has a full time job in a factoiy, anu
hei yeaily income is aiounu $42,Suu. Bei five chiluien aie attenuing school. She is appioveu foi the
Fee Assistance Piogiam, but when she went to apply foi low-income bus pass, she was uenieu,
because hei income is too high accoiuing to the ciiteiia of the Calgaiy Tiansit. The client is veiy
fiustiateu. She mentioneu to us that theie SB00LB be one common income cut-off to eveiy family.

Family Pass
It woulu be veiy beneficial foi low income clients if they coulu be eligible foi the City's low
income subsiuy piogiam, iegaiuless of who applieu foi the subsiuy like the low income
tiansit pass.
Sliuing fee scales
It woulu help a lot of low-income clients to have low-income subsiuy piogiam fees be baseu
on what they can affoiu to pay. A sliuing scale woulu woik well in the following examples of
situations we heai fiom clients:
A husbanu anu wife aiiiveu in Canaua a yeai ago. Both paients go to English school full-time, so
with theii limiteu income they aie having uifficulties affoiuing the $4u ieuuceu bus pass fee. "Even
thoughthefareisreduced,butIstillcannotafforditfor2people."

IamsingleladyonAlbertaWorksandmyincomeis$677amonth.Myrentis$400andIneedtobuy
foodandpayformyphone.Idohavealowbuspass,butIhavenoenoughmoneyattheendofthe
monthtopayforthelowbuspasstransit.

0thei iueas oi comments
We heai many stoiies of people who shoulu have qualifieu foi low-income piogiams but weie
uenieu because they weie living with family membeis oi ielatives who weien't low-income:
A single client (chuich sponsoieu), aiiiveu to Canaua in }an 2S, 2u1u anu has low income. Be
applieu foi the bus pass piogiam because he attenu full time school anu was uenieu because they
tolu him that he is living with ielatives who aie woiking anu have high income. Client saiu "It
24

doesntmakesensethatIwasdeniedbecauseIlivewithrelativeswhohavehighincome,myrelatives
dontgivemoneytobuymybuspass"

A single mothei with two chiluien anu hei single sistei both applieu foi the Low Income Tiansit
Pass anu weie both iejecteu. They weie living with anothei biothei anu they weie shaiing the
house anu householu expenses. They weie tolu they uiu not qualify foi this piogiam because they
weie living with a biothei who was not low income. They tiieu to explain theii situation anu how
theii biothei was not helping them financially. Bowevei, they weie infoimeu that they uiu not
qualify because theii biothei was not low income anu they weie living togethei.

A low- income single mom came to Canaua eight months ago anu eains $14,uuu annually. She is
living with hei cousin who is a iegisteieu nuise. She was iejecteu fiom the low income monthly
tiansit bus pass because hei cousin's yeaily income was high.

A low-income mothei has thiee chiluien. The eluest one is 21 yeais olu anu the otheis aie 16 anu
11 yeais olu. The mothei is unemployeu anu lives only on Chilu Tax Benefit. Bei eluest woiks anu
eains a salaiy that is moie than iequiieu to be eligible foi applying foi low tiansit pass foi the
client. Bowevei, the uaughtei is not suppoiting the mothei financially. The mothei was veiy upset
when was uenieu the low-income bus pass because the income assessment incluueu hei uaughtei's
income. She has to be uepenuent on hei eluei uaughtei who iefuses at times to pay foi the iegulai
auult monthly pass. The mothei neeus to attenu ESL classes anu neeus to use Tiansit quite often. If
the mothei was assesseu baseu on hei income (with two youngei uaughtei) only, she woulu have
been eligible to get the tiansit pass anu hei life woulu have been much easiei.

Forum: YoungMomsCouncil(UnitedWayofCalgaryandArea)

Numbei of people consulteu:S

Basic Bemogiaphics (if collecteu): S females, S young anu expectant motheis with low incomes, 2
youth woikeis

Top thiee highlights fiom consultation:

1. The pioposeu changes woulu make it consiueiably easiei to apply foi subsiuies
2. The pioposeu changes woulu make it consiueiably moie affoiuable
S. As a iesult, theii quality of life woulu impiove as they woulu be able to benefit fiom
accessing moie of what Calgaiy has to offei
Single-Entiy
Paiticipants living with low-incomes feel they aie constantly filling out foims. The foims aie
complicateu, time-consuming, stiessful, anu it is uifficult to go to seveial places aiounu the city with
chiluien in tow. Youth woikeis echoeu that it takes a lot of time to fill out foims with theii clients
25

anu to take them to uiffeient paits of the city to apply. If they only neeueu to fill-out one foim, at
one location, foi multiple subsiuies this woulu save a consiueiable amount of time anu stiess.

Asayouthworkerhavingtofilloutamilliondifferentformsforoneyouthtogetthemdifferent
thingsisfrustrating

Common income cut-off
Paiticipants agieeu with common income cut-offs. Bowevei, the LIC0 cut-off is vieweu as being too
low. Paiticipants feel it is veiy uifficult to live on, foi example, 29,uuu foi two people befoie-taxes..
Youhavechildcaretopayfor,formulaandkidsgrowoutoftheirclothesquick. Cieeping ovei that
line can make life even moie stiaineu because they lose suppoits: Wereborderlineatthelow
incomecutoff,anditsstressfulbecausewerenotsureifwecountaslowincomeornot.

Family pass
By making it easiei foi the entiie family to ieceive subsiuies, they woulu be able to puichase moie
passes, insteau of only being able to buy a pass foi one peison in the family. This woulu allow moie
family membeis to benefit fiom City seivices, piogiams, uoctois, school & woik, anu fiom getting
out into the community to socialize anu stay healthy.

Iwasstuckathomefor3weeksbecauseIdidnthavetransitfare.

TherewerealotoftimesIcouldntmakeittoschool[becauseIdidnthavetransitfare].

Common peicentage uiscounts
Common peicentage uiscounts woulu make the City's subsiuies much moie faii. It woulu mean that
a paient with a Low Income Tiansit Pass woulu not have to pay moie foi theii chilu's tiansit pass.

Sliuing fee scales
This woulu make tiansit moie affoiuable foi many people with low-incomes. It is so impoitant to
be able to get out of the house, enjoy the company of fiienus anu family, anu get to impoitant
seivices, woik, anu school. Paiticipants uiscusseu the impoitance of getting to uoctoi's
appointments anu counseling appointments in oiuei to heal, anu without tianspoitation they
cannot uo this:Ihaveposttraumaticstressdisorder,soIneedmycounseling,itsahugedealforme...
Thecostoftransitmakesitalmostimpossibletogettoit. If tiansit weie moie affoiuable it woulu
leave moie money to spenu on ient, foou, anu clothing.

0thei iueas oi comments

- The application foims uo not use plain language anu aie veiy complicateu
- The 9u min. tiansfei time on bus tickets is way too shoit to be useful
- Youth who aie tiansient have an extiemely uifficult time pioviuing pioof of iesiuency


26



Forum: DisabilityActionHallForums(2forums)

Numbei of people consulteu: S7 total

Basic Bemogiaphics (if collecteu): Both gioups weie people who alieauy use the subsiuizeu
seivices oi who know of someone who uses the seivices.

Single Entiy (one foim foi all fee uiscounts)
I think that is a goou iuea because if you have to senu youi AISB caiu in, they ueny you iight
away.
We shoulu not have to uo a foim. The AISB caiu shoulu be enough. What's with all these
foims; it's too much tiouble anu too costly.
I have a peimanent uisability. AISB usually uoesn't change. I uon't unueistanu why I have to
keep applying foi Fee Assistance if my income is fixeu.
I just got my fee assistance Naich Su
th
but they tolu me if I applieu two uays latei, I woulu
not qualify because of the AISB inciease.
I neeu the hot tub theiapy, anu I have to ienew. It's the cheapest foim of theiapy I can get.
Bowevei I cannot affoiu to get theie.
The inconsistent iules in iegaius to the methou of payment. Foi example, I use cheques to
pay foi my bus pass. I have been able to use the cheques foi ovei a yeai piioi to being tolu
at village Squaie Leisuie Centei that cheques aie not acceptable. Ny financial auministiatoi
has issueu cheques auuiesseu on my behalf anu hei othei clients to the city of Calgaiy foi
the low-income buss pass foi the last 1u yeais. I tiieu to take the cheque to City Ball wheie I
haven't hau a pioblem in puichasing the pass.
The inconsistent iules iegaiuing the houis to puichase the low-income bus pass at the
leisuie centeis. If I was woiking, I woulu have to take time off of woik to puichase the pass
oi come in eaily on the weekenu to get it. This woulun't apply if I was puichasing iegulai
auult bus tickets oi the auult bus pass because the houis I can puichase them woulu match
the facility houis.
The fact that people on low-incomes can only puichase them at ceitain locations. I am
peison with a mobility uisability. I woulu like to make all my tiavel aiiangements as easy as
possible. That means I usually uo at least 2 eiianus in one tiip (foi example I go to school
anu I get my bus pass on my way home). I woulu like to be able to puichase my pass at the
coinei stoie neai my house, at the phaimacy wheie I get meuication, oi at any of my
neighboihoou gioceiy stoies just like othei tiansit useis uo. That way I woulu not have to
tiavel so much anu waste a lot of my own eneigy.
I am not piouu of having a limiteu income. I uon't want otheis to know I have a limiteu
income. I uon't know why a bus uiivei oi c-tiain uiivei neeus to see Photo IB when I
piesent my pass, especially when iegulai bus pass holueis uon't neeu to show photo IB
with theii pass (foi example the auult anu youth bus passes)
Theie aie lots of foims, but foi many people it is haiu foi them to ieau. They want to make
it so that they just neeu to fill out one foim.
When you have to stanu in line foi so many houis, anu it's veiy stiessful.
Ny suppoit woikei uoes it eveiy month.
Ny ioommate gets a zoo pass. I uiu not know you coulu get a zoo pass, piogiams, science
centie) as I use the pool at vecova.
27

Bow uo you get a zoo pass. Will this incluue the zoo too.
Lots of people uon't know about all the ins anu outs that they can get.
Lots of people get theii access Calgaiy caius maileu to them, woulun't it be gieat if you
coulu also get youi fee assistance caiu maileu to you at the same time.
It woulu be goou to get all piogiams mailing the uiscounts to people with uisabilities. That
woulu be goou because then you woulun't have to wait in a long line.
Ny ioommate gets my bus pass foi me. Boesn't know about the swimming pass.
I woulu like to buy my pass at 7-11. It is too haiu to go uowntown. Ny woikei has to go
insteau of me. It takes a lot of time anu theie is a long line up.
People nouueu 'no' when askeu if people know wheie to apply. The applications aie on
uiffeient websites. (People nouueu 'no' as they neeu theii woikei to help finu all the foims
uue to not knowing how to use a computei anu not being able to ieau).
Bo you think you'u use moie of these things if they came all togethei. Befinitely.

Common income cut-off (using 1uu% of the LIC0)
I uon't know if I can apply foi fee assistance now that I am a senioi.
I filleu out the foim anu was tolu I hau to wait till I am 6S, (two weeks fiom now). It takes
me a long time to fill out foims anu I neeu a woikei to help me. Now I hau to uo it all again
in two weeks.
uetting the same peicentage off foi eveiything. What woulu that mean. Then I coulu have
plan foi the weekenu as you know what buuget I have.
Family Pass
"I know one family that applies foi one pass, he uses in the afteinoon, anu she uses it foi the
nightshift."
viueo explaining she cannot affoiu to pay $ 1Su foi heiself anu two chiluien.
http:www.youtube.comwatch.v=L}RPu1v28KQ
I showeu my AISB caiu, anu I showeu them my notice of assessment anu they tuineu me
away.
Common peicentage uiscounts (eg. Su% on the bus, Su% at the swimming pool)
I woulu like to see piopeity levies be incluueu in the piopeity tax assistance piogiam as I
live on fixeu income. I cannot affoiu piopeity tax incieases anu I neeu the iates to be
pieuictable. The piogiam shoulu be expanueu to incluue impiovements to the public
piopeity suiiounuing my home.
City pools anu aquatic centeis aie on a 2-tiei system. I am an aviu swimmei. I sometimes
uon't know how much I'u have to pay to go swimming sometimes because I uon't iemembei
the piices.
Theie aie othei fees such as the lockei fee. Sometimes I only biing enough money to swim
but uon't have enough money to spenu on the lockei. Sometimes the lockeis eat my money.
I have fiienus who want to go swimming with me that aie on a limiteu income. They can't go
because they can't affoiu to pay to ient a life jacket oi PFB. Life saving uevices shoulu be
incluueu in the entiance fee.
They want to make suie that you get the same peicentage off foi eveiything.
Then you coulu have plan foi the weekenu, as you know what buuget you have.
A lot of pet owneis still uon't know about it. It's not auveitiseu in the classifieus (wheie
people can go buy pets), anu in pet stoies veiy well. Piioi to having Bata as oui family uog
28

my family has hau othei uogs wheie spay neutei was coveieu by the shelteis they came
fiom piioi to auoption. Bata came fiom a fiienu who coulun't affoiu to caie foi him. We
weie suipiiseu to heai the cost of the suigeiy when we went to pick him up at the vet. It
cost ovei $2uu to spay neutei him. That uiun't incluue the cost of his tattoo, anu his
miciochip suigeiy. Be hau both spay neutei, tattooing, anu micio-chipping uone at the
same time.
It's not auveitiseu veiy well people with low incomes uon't know wheie they can go to get
theii pet spayeu neuteieu.
Sliuing fee scales (the less money you have the gieatei the uiscount)
See family pass stoiy- single mothei paying ovei $ 94 a month.

0thei iueas oi comments
CustomerServiceandaccessibilityonTransit:
I ioue the bus aiounu the city but the iamp anu bus was not veiy accessible anu it neeueu
an assistant to tie me uown. I cannot iiue alone. Anu the othei thing they have iamps but
the faie box is too high ovei my hanu anu they neeu to lowei it foi people in wheelchaiis.
I've seen some people who uo not have enough bus faie anu they get tuineu away.
I was using my manual chaii foi low flooi #9 iefuseu to lowei his iamp. I iepoiteu it anu he
got in tiouble.
I iepoiteu what happeneu to my uaughtei who cannot see veiy fai anu to sit neai the fiont
anu let him know you aie visually impaiieu, the bus uiivei saiu "When the bus stops 4
times, you aie theie." She sweateu bullets the entiie iiue as the bus stoppeu at lights, stop
signs. Theie is nevei any follow up as to what happens aftei the complaint, it seems like a
black hole."
RecreationalCentres
I am not piouu of having a limiteu income. I uon't want otheis to know I have a limiteu
income. I uon't know why a cashiei neeus to see Photo IB when I piesent the fee assistance
caiu. }ust having the caiu alieauy inuicates to them I have a low income. No one else has to
show theii IB to get into the Recieation Centeis anu Leisuie centeis- why uo I have to uo it.
In my opinion it's uisciiminatoiy.
Improvementstothespayandneuterprogram:
Even though this piogiam is helpful, it's just a stait. I woulu like to see the piogiam to stait
coveiing the cost of the annual vet check up, special uietaiy pet foou anu meuication that is
offeieu thiough the vet's office. I woulu like to see this piogiam woik with the obeuience
tiaining schools to offei obeuience tiaining to new owneis with low incomes at a
uiscounteu iate. Although the city uoes go into schools, maybe theie neeus to be moie
places to talk to Calgaiians about iesponsible pet owneiship.

I like the Calgaiy Bumane Society's pet calculatoi to help people ueciue if they can affoiu a
pet. http:www.calgaiyhumane.capage.aspx.piu=294

I know theie has been a numbei of iecent inciuents wheie uogs have attackeu humans heie
in Calgaiy. By offeiing to covei a poition of the obeuience tiaining cost, anu the costs that
29

aie associateu with veteiinaiy caie- I think the numbei of uog attacks will be ieuuceu
because moie people woulu be able to show they aie iesponsible pet owneis uespite theii
low income. The 'I heait my pet' piogiam is a uiscount caiu that is a step in the iight
uiiection. http:www.calgaiy.caCSPSABSPagesAnimal-SeivicesI-heait-my-pet-
piogiam.aspx

In iegaius to my family- we have thiee uogs, two weie fiom local shelteis wheie the cost of
Spay neuteiing, six months uog license, anu a bag of uog foou was coveieu. 0ne of those
two uogs hau uental suigeiy that was also coveieu by the sheltei. The thiiu uog has come
fiom a fiienu who coulun't affoiu to take caie of him anymoie. I paiu $2uu plus uST foi his
spay neuteiing. All thiee uogs aie on a special uiet as iecommenueu by the vet to help
ieuuce theii taitai. We aie hoping the foou will help pievent the neeu foi futuie uental caie.
They got ue-woiming pills. 0ne of them is a senioi. I know fiom oui pievious uogs that the
cost foi taking caie of hei is going to iise uue to hei age, anu health. Baseu on expeiience
with my pievious uogs as a kiu uogs usually tenu to get Cancei when they get oluei. It cost a
lot to take caie of a uog with Cancei. It also cost a lot to have them euthanizeu. Because my
family anu I coulu not affoiu the caie oui pievious uogs neeueu all of oui pievious uogs
weie euthanizeu when Cancei was uetecteu in theii bouy. That is my biggest feai with all
thiee of my cuiient uogs- that because we can't affoiu to take caie of them when they get
seiiously ill we may be foiceu to euthanize them. They aie my best fiienus. I uon't want to
be put into that uecision-making moue just because we can't affoiu to let them live a goou
quality of life.

Forum:CalgaryChineseElderlyCitizensAssociationForums(3forums)

Numbei of people consulteu: 46 total

Basic Bemogiaphics: Chinese seniois (1S Nanuaiin speaking, S1 Cantonese speaking)

Single-Entiy
Some seniois iecommenueu single entiy foi the low-income subsiuy piogiams, as most of them
uon't know English anu woulu neeu theii chiluien to assist with application. It was also iepoiteu
that when they applieu foi the low-income subsiuy piogiams, uiffeient stanuaius weie useu anu
vaiious uocuments weie iequiieu in oiuei to piove that they aie low-income. They suggesteu that
the application piocess shoulu be maue simplei anu easiei. A senioi shaieu "if I am qualifieu foi the
low-income tiansit pass, I can just pioviue my low-income tiansit pass to ieceive the uiscounts of
othei piogiams."
If the piocess is too complicateu, many seniois will piefei not to apply. Fuitheimoie, moie
locations aie suggesteu to make it moie accessible foi people who have physical iestiictions.

Common Income Cut-0ff
Paiticipants iepoiteu that many Chinese seniois who live with family membeis aie not qualifieu foi
the low-income subsiuy piogiams. Bowevei, those seniois aie inuepenuent fiom theii family
membeis who uo not financially suppoiting the seniois. If othei family membei is not qualifieu foi
30

the low-income subsiuy piogiams, it will affect the one who is qualifieu. Some seniois shaieu that,
"even I can get the tiansit pass; I am not qualifieu foi all othei benefits.

Common Peicentage Biscounts

It is goou to have the same uiscount, anu the uiscount shoulu be baseu on the income. Low-income
people shoulu be given moie uiscounts. Low-income people ieally caie about the piice. Even it is a
little bit highei, they may not be able to affoiu it.

Sliuing Fee Scales

Some seniois suggesteu having uiffeient levels of fees foi the tiansit pass baseu on the income
level.

0thei iueas oi comments
Nany newcomeis anu immigiants aie not awaie of the City of Calgaiy low-income subsiuy
piogiams anu goveinment shoulu finu ways to piomote the seivices. Foi seniois who ieceive
seivices such as City Links, they aie thankful foi the seivices.
It is also suggesteu having photo on senioi's annual tiansit pass anu have an all-in-one caiu to get
access to all the low-income subsiuy piogiams.


Appenuix II
SeeattachedEngagementToolkit,distributedtoserviceagenciesacrossthecitytoprovide
informationontheFairCalgaryrecommendationsunderconsideration,andusedasafacilitators
guidetogatheringfeedbackfromcommunitymembers,clients,andotherstakeholders.