Today, Caroline Mulroney, Minister of Transportation, announced that Ontario is providing $375 million through the Gas Tax program to help 109 municipalities across the province operate and expand public transit, including Bradford West Gwillimbury.
Bradford will be receiving $378, 054 from the program. The province will flow the funding as soon as possible in 2021.
"Our government is committed to helping municipalities sustain and improve public transit throughout the province," said Caroline Mulroney, Minister of Transportation. "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."
According to the Ontario government's press release, 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 collected. This funding can be used to extend service hours, buy transit vehicles, add routes, improve accessibility or upgrade infrastructure.
"We are very grateful to receive the funds, which will be used to cover a component of service operation and small capital requirements," says spokesperson for the town, Caleigh Clubine. "Provincial and Federal grants continue to be vital to the growth of our BWG Transit service, enabling us to serve our expanding municipality and growing population."
"Transit systems again thank this government for its unwavering support. From keeping existing service running safely and conveniently to building transit for tomorrow, Minister Mulroney has been an ally of transit systems and our riders. Ontario has placed immense value on public transit to help frontline workers get to and from work each day throughout the pandemic," said Kelly Paleczny, Chair of Ontario Public Transit Association and General Manager of the London Transit Commission. "This funding is crucial to communities across the province in the fight against COVID-19 and will play an important role in Ontario's economic recovery."
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.
"We are hoping to take delivery this spring of the buses that were purchased thanks to the funding received from the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program, along with the 2019 Provincial Gas Tax funds. Barring delays due to COVID, they should arrive in late March," said Clubine.
