Public transit gets Canadians to where they need to be, creates new Canadian manufacturing and construction jobs, reduces pollution and congestion, makes life more affordable, and keeps Canadians and communities connected as they grow. That is why the federal government is investing in better public transit.
On September 27 in Toronto, the Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, alongside Gary Anandasangaree, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, and Olivia Chow, Mayor of Toronto, highlighted how the federal government is working with the City of Toronto to accelerate public transit for Torontonians.
In April 2023, the federal government and the City of Toronto announced a joint investment of $700 million to procure 340 battery-electric buses for the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). Today, the first two of these 340 electric buses joined the TTC's fleet, with all 340 electric buses expected to be in service by the end of 2026.
This investment will help the TTC as the largest public transit system in Canada achieve its goal of electrifying its entire fleet by 2040.
Building up Toronto's electric bus fleet is just one part of the federal government's work to improve public transit in Toronto, and across Canada. To connect people across the Greater Toronto Area, the federal government is investing $10.4 billion in four major public transit projects the Scarborough Subway Extension, the Eglinton Crosstown LRT, the Ontario Line, and the Yonge North Subway Extension. And, in July, the federal government launched the Canada Public Transit Fund a permanent ongoing program that will invest an average of $3 billion per year to help cities and communities deliver better public transit systems for Canadians.
Quotes
"Our government knows improving public transit is essential to ensuring our economy reaches its full potential. That is why we are delivering unprecedented investments in reliable and sustainable public transit infrastructure. Today's arrival of the TTC's new all-electric buses just one of the many ways we are helping the TTC grow will make Torontonians' commutes quicker and cleaner."
- The Honourable Chrystia Freeland,
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance
Quick facts
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Total transit funding to Toronto since 2015 = $10.4 billion. This includes:
- November 2023: New TTC streetcars.
- December 2022: Capacity improvements at Bloor-Yonge station.
- 2021: New Scarborough Subway Extension, Eglinton Crosstown West, Ontario Line, and Yonge North Subway Extension.
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Through the Zero Emission Transit Fund, the federal government is helping public transit and school bus operators electrify their fleets by enabling the purchase of 5,000 zero emission buses and building associated infrastructure, such as charging stations.
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Budget 2024 announced that any community seeking to access long-term, predictable funding through the new Canada Public Transit Fund, will need to take actions that directly unlock housing. This includes measures to:
- Eliminate all mandatory minimum parking requirements within 800 metres of a high-frequency transit line.
- Allow high-density housing within 800 metres of a high-frequency transit line.
- Allow high-density housing within 800 metres of post-secondary institutions.
- Complete a Housing Needs Assessment for all communities with a population greater than 30,000.
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The Canada Public Transit Fund will provide:
- An expected average of $2 billion per year, or $20 billion over 10 years, for Metro-Region Agreements.
- An expected average of $500 million per year, or $5 billion over 10 years, in Baseline Funding.
- An expected average of $500 million per year, or $5 billion over 10 years, in Targeted Funding.
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Through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program, the federal government 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.
- In Ontario, the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program's Public Transit Infrastructure Stream has already approved over 400 projects to improve public transit. The federal government has committed $8.3 billion to the program, and the provincial government has committed $7.3 billion.
