The Greyhound bus is still making stops in Okotoks, although the proper permits haven’t been approved to keep the service in town.
The bus and freight service was in jeopardy when Chung’s restaurant closed in November. The Chungs agreed to continue running the Greyhound during the busy holiday season, however, as of Jan. 1 the service was going to be moved to the High River depot.
Before that could happen downtown business owner Reinier Lenting stepped up and agreed to take over the business. However, Lenting had to apply to the Town of Okotoks for a development permit. That application is now being finalized, but in the meantime the buses have continued to roll into Okotoks’ downtown. Lenting said the development permit has not yet been issued.
“December is very busy,” he said. “It was a little bit of a race against the clock.”
Town administration said it will likely take another month to process his application.
Lenting said they did a dry run to ensure the lane behind the store, Daggett Street, would work for the big buses and their trailers.
“We did a safety check and now we are waiting for the administration process,” he said.
Business has continued to be steady, he said. Lenting estimated he sends out 15 to 20 packages a day and receives the same amount.
The Greyhound arrives in Okotoks twice daily and averages five to seven passengers per week. It leaves Okotoks at 8:15 a.m. and proceeds south to Lethbridge and again at 7 p.m. and is bound for Calgary.
Lenting said customers have expressed gratitude the Greyhound is still available in town.
“There are lots of thank-yous from people because we saved the Greyhound for Okotoks,” he said.
Okotoks town planner Wendy Cardiff said Lenting is taking a risk by running the bus service without the proper permits in place. Under the Town’s bylaws and the Municipal Government Act a permit must be in place before a person or company can proceed with this type of request.
However, the Town will turn a blind eye if someone proceeds unless there is a problem or the application is turned down.
“The dollar store’s owner went ahead with the knowledge that if there was a complaint or a safety concern then we will take enforcement action,” said Cardiff. “A stop order would be issued.”
No complaints have been received so far said Cardiff. She said the Town is close to getting the last details needed to complete the application. Once the application is done, the request needs to be advertised and approved and then there is a two-week appeal process. She said it will take about a month to finish the process.
