The provincial government is dropping some serious dollars to better the transit systems in Ontario’s municipalities.
This morning in Brampton, Premier Doug Ford and Minister of Transportation Caroline Mulroney announced that the Ontario government is providing municipalities with up to $505M to help ensure municipal transit systems run safely and reliably.
The funding is being delivered through Phase 4 of the federal-provincial Safe Restart Agreement, which has directed funds to 107 municipalities across the province. Allocations for Phase 4 of SRA funding include a base amount of $5,000 plus a remaining allocation amount based on actual impacts reported through the first three phases of SRA funding, according to the Province.
“As we continue to build Ontario, our government is stepping up and investing historic amounts in municipalities, including public transit,” said Premier Doug Ford. “This additional funding will help deliver safe and reliable public transit for local communities both now and into the future.”
Photo via the GO Transit Facebook Page
According to the Province, Phase 4 of the Safe Restart Agreement will help municipal transit systems address costs related to the COVID-19 pandemic between February 1, 2022 and December 31, 2022. Municipalities will be able to use their funding allocations to cover revenue losses, operating expenses, and provincial transit priority projects, including fare and service integration and On-Demand transit.
“Ontario has been a leader in supporting its municipal partners and we will continue to champion their needs along with transit users across the province,” said Caroline Mulroney, Minister of Transportation. “This funding, on top of what has already been provided, will help ensure reliable transportation options are available for everyone, whether you’re going to work, school or the grocery store.”
This funding builds on the more than $2B in dedicated funding for municipal transit systems that the Ontario government, in conjunction with the federal government, has provided since 2020 to help transit systems across the province respond to the impact of COVID-19.
"Our government will always be there for Canadians. Throughout the pandemic, countless essential workers relied on public transit to get to work and this funding will help ensure transit operators can continue to offer them and their communities a reliable service," said Jennifer O'Connell, Parliamentary Secretary to the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities.
The Ontario government, in partnership with the federal government, has made up to $4B in one-time emergency assistance available to Ontario municipalities as part of the Safe Restart Agreement (SRA) since 2020. This funding includes over $2B already provided to municipalities to support public transit across the province.
