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PORT HAWKESBURY - Mayor Brenda Chisholm-Beaton is firing back against criticisms from neighbouring Inverness County about the in-kind funding the town provides to Strait Area Transit (SAT).

Established in 2008 and serving the counties of Inverness and Richmond as well as Port Hawkesbury, SAT receives core funding from the two counties. By comparison, Port Hawkesbury's funding to SAT takes the form of in-kind donations - a move decried by Inverness County Warden Laurie Cranton and multiple councillors as insufficient at the county's regular monthly meeting on April 5. 

Speaking to TELILE 24/7 host/producer Adam Cooke two days after the comments from Inverness County representatives, Mayor Chisholm-Beaton defended the town's approach to funding SAT, which regularly brings Inverness and Richmond residents to the town for medical appointments, grocery purchases, and drop-offs and pick-ups at the Nova Scotia Community College's (NSCC) Strait Area Campus, which is located on the outskirts of Port Hawkesbury near the border with the Inverness County community of Port Hastings. 

The mayor pointed out that the town is always willing to work with the transit cooperative, and pointed to recent discussions on establishing a formal bus stop within the town to accommodate NSCC students and staff using SAT vehicles to travel to and from Strait Area Transit.

At the same time, Chisholm-Beaton noted that Port Hawkesbury's position within the SAT network is a unique one, given that the town as several active taxi licenses in effect and is working to ensure that taxi operators do not wind up competing with SAT for the same customer base. 

However, she added that it is the town's intention to fairly compensate SAT for the services the cooperative provides to Port Hawkesbury, and added that she is optimistic that a deal can be reached within the town's current budgetary discussions that will satisfy everyone.