Canada and Ontario invest in sustainable public transit for Greater Sudbury residents 

From: Infrastructure Canada

News release

Greater Sudbury, Ontario, August 6, 2020—The health and well-being of Canadians are the top priorities of the Governments of Canada and Ontario. But the COVID-19 pandemic has affected more than Canadians’ personal health. It is having a profound effect 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.

Paul Lefebvre, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources and Member of Parliament for Sudbury, as well as Marc G. Serré, Member of Parliament for Nickel Belt, both acting on behalf of the Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities; Dave Smith, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Energy, Northern Development and Mines and Indigenous Affairs and Member of Provincial Parliament for Peterborough−Kawartha, on behalf of the Honourable Laurie Scott, Ontario’s Minister of Infrastructure; and His Worship Brian Bigger, Mayor of the City of Greater Sudbury, today announced funding for five public transit and active transportation projects in Greater Sudbury.

These investments include the purchase of 53 buses to replace those that are reaching the end of their life cycle over the next eight years, as well as planning, design, and construction to improve transit service along three of Sudbury’s busiest corridors. In addition, projects that study and introduce new smart-card technology to the system, as well as design and build three new Major Mobility Hubs, will improve service for residents.

Together, these projects will improve the capacity and quality of the transit system, while also reducing maintenance costs.

The Government of Canada is investing over $39.7 million in these projects through the Public Transit Infrastructure Stream (PTIS) of the Investing in Canada infrastructure plan. The Government of Ontario is providing more than $33.1 million to the projects, while the City of Greater Sudbury is contributing more than $26.4 million.

Quotes

“Investing in modern and accessible public transportation systems is essential to building sustainable and healthy communities. Many residents in Greater Sudbury rely on public transit to get to work or school, and access the services they need. The investments being made today will help transform the city’s transit system and have a positive impact on residents for years to come. We are proud to work with our partners to build resilient infrastructure that meets communities’ needs and supports a low carbon future for Canadians.”

Paul Lefebvre, Member of Parliament for Sudbury, on behalf of the Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities

“I am excited to see investments in public transit and new technology for the Nickel Belt - Greater Sudbury area. Investments like these are critical to building healthy, sustainable communities where residents can thrive. This funding will allow for the implementation of new technology upgrades that will significantly improve the experience, capacity and quality of the public transit system to better serve outlying and core Nickel Belt – Greater Sudbury communities”

Marc Serré, Member of Parliament for Nickel Belt, on behalf of the Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities

“I am thrilled to announce this significant investment in local transit for the Greater Sudbury area. Today’s announcement reaffirms our government’s commitment to investing in strategic public transit infrastructure projects that will support economic recovery and job creation. This investment will not only see the purchase of 53 new buses, but it will also effectively lower maintenance costs and emissions, while also improving accessibility for transit users in Northern Ontario.”

Dave Smith, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Energy, Northern Development and Mines and Indigenous Affairs and Member of Provincial Parliament for Peterborough-Kawartha, on behalf of the Honourable Laurie Scott

“The investments being announced today will allow us as a City to take another important step towards completely transforming our public transit system in Greater Sudbury. I want to thank our Federal and Provincial partners for all of their support as we rebound as a community from COVID-19 and in strengthening our public transit system for the future.”

Brian Bigger, Mayor of the City of Greater Sudbury

Quick facts

Through the Investing in Canada infrastructure 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.

The Government of Canada has invested more than $7.8 billion in over 2,600 infrastructure projects across Ontario under the Investing in Canada infrastructure 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.