Trudeau announces ‘historic’ funds for transit at Richmond Hill bus garage

Shares spotlight with provincial Liberals Moridi, Del Duca

Yorkregion.com
Sept. 4, 2015

Liberal leader Justin Trudeau brought his election campaign bus to Richmond Hill’s regional transit facility today to announce “historic investments” in infrastructure.

Trudeau shared the spotlight and meet and greet sessions with York Region Transit employees with provincial Liberals MPP Reza Moridi of Richmond Hill and transportation minister Steven Del Duca, Vaughan MPP.

A Liberal federal government would invest in public transit in order to strengthen the middle class, grow the economy, and ensure Canadians spend less time commuting and more quality time with their families, said Trudeau, inside one of the large bus facilities on.

“An economy that can’t move its people will never reach its full potential. We see it when we can’t get to a job interview because of no bus service, when busy roads mean we miss our kids’ soccer games, when we spend hours sitting in traffic, or when we cram into packed subway cars,” said Trudeau. “This is about safe transit, how we get to work tomorrow, clean air, and our overall quality of life.”

A Liberal government would quadruple federal investment in public transit over the next decade by investing almost $20 billion more, said a campaign press release.

Municipalities - which are responsible for the majority of public transit in Canada - have limited revenue sources. A Liberal federal government would work with municipalities to see that “local projects are prioritized, and ensure funding is flexible rather than a roadblock to development”. Trudeau’s campaign promises “long-term, predictable federal funding” needed to make community transit plans a reality.

“Successful, confident countries invest in their own futures and build ambitiously. That is why public transit is a crucial component of our plan to make historic investments in infrastructure,” said Trudeau. “A Liberal government will ensure that we leave a better country to our kids and grandkids than the one we inherited.