Bus stop in Burlington

General News

September 9, 2020

Canada and Ontario invest in public transit infrastructure for Burlington’s growing population

This media release first appeared on news.ontario.ca

BURLINGTON — 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.

Today, the Honourable Karina Gould, Minister of International Development and Member of Parliament for Burlington, on behalf of the Honourable 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; Pam Damoff, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indigenous Services and Member of Parliament for Oakville North-Burlington; were joined by Jane McKenna, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development and Member of Provincial Parliament for Burlington, on behalf of the Honourable Laurie Scott, Ontario’s Minister of Infrastructure; Effie J. Triantafilopoulos, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Long-Term Care and Member of Provincial Parliament for Oakville North−Burlington; and Her Worship, Marianne Meed Ward, Mayor of Burlington, to announce funding for six projects that will modernize and improve public transit in Burlington.

Public transit users will benefit from the purchase of 12 new 40-foot conventional buses to expand the fleet over the next three years. This will make public transit more efficient and convenient for riders by increasing service frequency and enabling connections between bus routes and regional transit. In addition, five new conventional buses will replace buses that have reached the end of their lifecycle, helping to maintain a reliable, high quality service.

In addition, three specialized accessible vehicles will be added to Burlington’s fleet over the next three years to support the community’s need for more accessible public transit. Devices will also be installed on traffic signals and buses to help improve the transit system’s on-time performance, while the implementation of intelligent transit system technology will enable on-demand transit service to be introduced to underserviced areas.

The Government of Canada is investing more than $5.1 million in these projects through the Public Transit Infrastructure Stream (PTIS) of the Investing in Canada plan. The Government of Ontario is providing more than $4.3 million, and the municipality is contributing more than $3.4 million.

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 infrastructure.
  • The Government of Canada has invested more than $7.9 billion in over 2,600 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

“Public transit is a convenient, environmentally friendly and affordable way for Canadians to get to work, visit loved ones and access the services they need. These new buses and upgraded software systems will help make public transit in Burlington more accessible and convenient for riders. Canada’s infrastructure plan not only invests in thousands of projects across the country, but it also creates jobs and builds stronger communities.”

– The Honourable Karina Gould
Minister of International Development and Member of Parliament for Burlington, on behalf of the Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities

“Investments in public transit are critical to building healthy, sustainable communities where residents can thrive. The important projects announced today will expand the fleet and services offered to Burlington’s growing population, responding to current and future transit needs.”

– Pam Damoff
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indigenous Services and Member of Parliament for Oakville North–Burlington

“Improved and integrated public transit systems are vital for building greener and more resilient communities. The projects announced today will improve public transit services for Burlington 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

“Today’s transit funding announcement will improve capacity, quality and more importantly accessibility of Burlington’s transit system. The provincial investment of more than $4.3 million will help to increase service frequency and enable connections between bus routes and regional transit for the residents of Burlington.”

Jane McKenna
Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development and Member of Provincial Parliament for Burlington, on behalf of Laurie Scott, Ontario’s Minister of Infrastructure

“The Ontario Government is investing more than $4 million today for public transit in Burlington. This means twelve new buses for transit riders, five new buses to replace older buses going out of service, and other transit improvements. More transit is good for commuters and the environment, and I am pleased that Ontario is helping to deliver Burlington transit priorities to ensure better services for Burlington residents.”

Effie J. Triantafilopoulos
Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Long-Term Care and Member of Provincial Parliament for Oakville North−Burlington

“This funding is welcome news for our community at a time when safe and reliable public transit is more important than ever. The City of Burlington has a strong commitment to transit as an environmentally-friendly way to help our growing population work and play. Earlier this year our ridership was trending upwards from the previous year and the impact of these funds will contribute significantly to that positive momentum. I thank our Federal and Provincial partners for this timely and valued support.”

– Her Worship Marianne Meed Ward
Mayor of Burlington

Media Contacts

Chantalle Aubertin

Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities

chantalle.aubertin@canada.ca

613-941-0660

Christine Bujold

Press Secretary, Office of the Honourable Laurie Scott, Ontario’s Minister of Infrastructure

christine.bujold@ontario.ca

416-454-1782

Sofia Sousa-Dias

Communications Branch, Ontario Ministry of Infrastructure

sofia.sousa-Dias@ontario.ca

437-991-3391

Carla Marshall

Communications Advisor, City of Burlington

Carla.Marshall@burlington.ca

905-335-7600, ext. 7879

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