Canada and Ontario invest in modern public transit infrastructure for residents of Milton

The Voice of Canada News:

The safety and well-being of Canadians are top priorities of the governments of Canada and Ontario. But the COVID-19 pandemic has affected more than Canadians’ personal health; it is also having a profound impact on the economy.

That is why governments have been taking decisive action to support families, businesses and communities, and continue to look ahead to see what more can be done.

Ontarians need help getting safely to work and home, getting out to appointments, to shop and to conduct business. Strategic investments in sustainable public transportation infrastructure play a key role.

Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities; Adam van Koeverden, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Diversity and Inclusion and Youth and to the Minister of Canadian Heritage (Sport) and Member of Parliament for Milton; Parm Gill, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing and Member of Provincial Parliament for Milton, on behalf of the Honourable Laurie Scott, Ontario’s Minister of Infrastructure; and His Worship Gordon Krantz, Mayor of the Town of Milton, announced funding for a project that will improve the safety and efficiency of public transit in Milton.

Milton is getting a new Transit Operations Facility that will improve the storage and servicing needs of its public transit fleet. The facility will be constructed using sustainable design practices, such as the use of LEED criteria, and will house 36 conventional and specialized vehicles as well as provide extra space for servicing and maintenance. The result will increase passenger safety, encourage greener forms of transportation, and provide residents with a better and more reliable transit system.The Government of Canada is investing more than $3.9 million in this project through the Public Transit Infrastructure Stream (PTIS) of the Investing in Canada plan. The Government of Ontario is providing more than $3.2 million, and the Town of Milton is contributing more than $39 million of total projected costs over several years.

Quick Facts

• Through the Investing in Canada plan, the Government of Canada is investing more than $180 billion over 12 years in public transit projects, green infrastructure, social infrastructure, trade and transportation routes, and Canada’s rural and northern communities.
• $28.7 billion of this funding is supporting public transit projects, including $5 billion available for investment through the Canada Infrastructure Bank.
• Ontario is investing $10.2 billion under the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program to improve public transit; community, culture and recreation; green, and rural and northern community and other priority infrastructure.
• The Government of Canada has invested more than $8 billion in over 2,700 infrastructure projects across Ontario under the Investing in Canada plan.
• Across the province, Ontario is investing more than $7.3 billion in public transit infrastructure over 10 years through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program.
• To support Canadians and communities during the COVID-19 pandemic, a new stream has been added to the over $33-billion Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program to help fund pandemic-resilient infrastructure. Existing program streams have also been adapted to include more eligible project categories.
• The COVID-19 Resilience Stream will help other orders of governments whose finances have been significantly impacted by the pandemic by increasing the federal cost share for public infrastructure projects.
• The Canada Healthy Communities Initiative will provide up to $31 million in existing federal funding to support communities as they deploy innovative new ways to adapt spaces and services to respond to immediate and ongoing needs arising from COVID-19 over the next two years.

Quotes

“Our investments in modernizing public transit give Canadians better options for getting around in more sustainable and affordable ways. The new Transit Operations Facility will transform public transit in Milton by increasing service reliability and safety through improved maintenance. Canada’s infrastructure plan invests in thousands of projects, creates jobs across the country, and builds cleaner, more inclusive communities.”- The Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities

“Improved and integrated public transit systems are vital for building greener and more resilient communities. The project announced today will improve public transit services for Milton residents, allowing them to get where they need to go safely. These investments will benefit the community, residents, and the environment.”- Adam van Koeverden
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Diversity and Inclusion and Youth and to the Minister of Canadian Heritage (Sport) and Member of Parliament for Milton

“Milton holds a unique place in Ontario as one of the fastest growing communities in our province. I am proud our government is taking strong action to support this growth by investing over $3.2 million to help build a transit operations facility that will give Milton residents a better, more reliable transit system.”- Parm Gill
Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing and Member of Provincial Parliament for Milton, on behalf of the Honourable Laurie Scott, Ontario’s Minister of Infrastructure

“As the fastest growing municipality in Ontario, transit is essential to our economic and community wellbeing, now and in the future. As a complete community, transit moves our residents to and from their work and school, to our businesses to shop, to social and health services, and to completing activities of daily living such as grocery shopping. This new facility will enable Milton to deliver a sustainable transit service to meet our future needs as a community.”- Gordon Krantz, Mayor of the Town of Milton