The Transit Strike and MSVU's Response

With the Metro Transit strike in Halifax we see thousands of regular transit users finding alternative means of transport to get where they need to go. The same goes for students living off campus at one of the cities many universities.

At Mount Saint Vincent University the response by the administration has been underwhelming and not terribly reassuring for those left stranded due to the strike. While the school has set up a car pool resource for students and faculty in such a situation, although for those who this doesn't prove helpful to are still left stranded.


Credit should be given to the university for significantly lowering the price of weekly parking passes to $10 for the duration of the strike. Certainly there would be greater demand during the strike at even the regular price, but this move helps to relieve the wallets of students who would normally take public transportation despite having access to vehicles.

Yet, those most affected by the strike are those of lower incomes. While there are some who live in the city and choose not to utilize a personal vehicle due to not needing one or in an attempt to promote "healthy living", the strike is more likely to affect those who cannot afford nor have access to a personal means of transportation.

Those of lower incomes already less likely to enter into post-secondary institutions due to a variety of reasons, one of which is a lack of funding and unfamiliarity with taking on such significant levels of debt. The metro transit strike presents yet another hurdle of these individuals to overcome. Even those from who come from well off families but live independently will face difficulties due to this strike. We have heard of students dropping out for the semester due to the inability to get to and from school.

While MSVU quite obviously has no control over the negotiating process between the city and the transit union, greater measures could have been taken to lessen penalties for missing classes or allowing assignments to be handed in through email. While many professors are likely to accept this reasoning under the circumstances, greater assurances from the University that this will be the case would help to relieve the stress of those unable to get to school. Resources like Moodle help to relieve those unable to attend classes by providing a hub to view assignment outlines and class notes for those professors who utilize the website.

This transit strike has proven to be an inconvenience for many so far, either by needing to spend 9 hours for one class as they are unable to be picked up until late in the day, or for those unable to get to school in the first place. It's quite likely that come April when the grades come in you'll witness many students cursing at Metro Transit as a result.