Ontario is providing $378,054 in funding to Bradford West Gwillimbury through Ontario’s Gas Tax program. This year, the province is providing a total of $375 million in gas tax funding for 109 municipalities that deliver public transit to 144 communities across Ontario. The province will flow the funding as soon as possible in 2021.
“This is excellent news for Bradford West Gwillimbury,” said Caroline Mulroney, MPP for York - Simcoe and Minister of Transportation. “Funding for public transit will help make it easier to get where you need to go while supporting economic recovery in our community.”
“Our government is committed to helping municipalities sustain and improve public transit throughout the province,” stated Caroline Mulroney, Minister of Transportation and MPP for YorkSimcoe. “Supporting transit systems is more important than ever as municipalities across Ontario struggle during the COVID-19 pandemic. This funding will help ensure people have access to safe, reliable transportation to get to work or pick up essential items like a prescription.”
Funding for the Gas Tax program is determined by the number of litres of gasoline sold in the province during the previous year. Municipalities supporting public transit services in their community receive two cents per litre of provincial gas tax revenue. This funding can be used to extend service hours, buy transit vehicles, add routes, improve accessibility or upgrade infrastructure.
"This funding announced by Minister Mulroney, along with the coming plans to improve the GO train station, is excellent news for improving traffic in Bradford West Gwillimbury," said Ward 2 Coun. Jonathan Scott.
In July 2020, the province announced up to $2 billion from the provincial and federal governments under the Safe Restart Agreement to support municipal transit systems with operating costs like vehicle maintenance and employee wages, revenue losses as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and other costs like installing driver protection barriers.
In the fall, Bradford West Gwillimbury also received $576,450 in new transit funding through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program, which allowed for the purchase of an additional transit van equipped with 'Smart Bus' technologies to add to the town's fleet. The new buses are set to hit the roads this spring.