Federal government to spend $76 million on Toronto transit

Money for infrastructure improvements in Canada’s big cities is on its way, heralded by a grant of $76 million for the Toronto Transit Commission. David Collenette, federal Minister of Transport and Minister Responsible for the GTA made the announcement April 26. Early indications were the money will go to track improvements, accessibility projects like elevators and other capital projects apart from new buses.
The night before Collenette’s announcement, Deputy Prime Minister John Manley spoke at the Toronto Board of Trade and suggested that more big sums would be going for capital infrastructure projects to help cities cope with the increasing burdens and responsibilities laid upon them.
Manley, who took control of the Canada Strategic Infrastructure Fund in February, said “Cities need to be recognized for the central and also catalytic role that they play in Canada’s overall economic wellbeing …” He also suggested that monies from the $2 billion infrastructure fund will be for large projects “This is not a pie that will be cut into 50 different pieces — more like 15 projects,” he said, as quoted in The Globe and Mail.
The Toronto Board of Trade praised the investment in public transit. Like other urban advocates, they have been lobbying heavily for more government money for transportation. Late in March the Board released a survey of its members in which they overwhelmingly cited traffic congestion on highways as their top business concern and called for governments to work to geenerate long-term investment strategies to rebuild the city’s transportation system.
. “From corporate heads to corner store owners, our members are demanding improvements to Toronto’s infrastructure,” said Elyse Allan, Toronto Board of Trade President and CEO in a press release.