Ontario has announced it is supporting local economic recovery efforts by investing $912,567 in the City of North Bay's public transit.
"This is excellent news for North Bay," Nipissing MPP Vic Fedeli said in announcing the funding through Ontario’s Gas Tax program. "Funding for public transit will help make it easier to get where you need to go while supporting economic recovery in our community."
Funding received from 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.
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.
"Our government is committed to helping municipalities sustain and improve public transit throughout the province," said Minister of Transportation Caroline Mulroney. "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."
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 including vehicle maintenance and employee wages; revenue losses incurred as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic; and, other costs, such as installing driver protection barriers.
