Public transit is getting a shot in the arm.
The federal government says it is investing almost 15 billion dollars over the next eight years.
Don Iveson of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities says the money will not only help big cities.
“Rural and remote communities are also essential to this countries economic future and better transit in each of those communities will have a tremendous impact on our shared economic and environmental goals.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau adds the transit funding will help Canada exceed its climate change goal for 2030 and help us reach net zero by 2050.
He adds it will also help Canada kick-start it’s economy after the pandemic.
“Yes there will be more working from home, but people will still want to be getting around and there may actually be less need for certain single-occupant vehicles and more use of better quality, cleaner and safer public transit.”
Trudeau adds the funding will help companies that make transit vehicles like Alstom in Thunder Bay and New Flyer in Winnipeg.
The announcement is welcome news for the president of the union at Alstom.
Unifor’s Dominic Pasqualino says while it’s too early to say how it will affect the Thunder Bay plant it’s going in the right direction.
“Certainly having infrastructure money dedicated to transportation is something we have been lobbying for for a very long time,” explains Pasqualino.
The union official says today’s announcement makes sense at a time when the pandemic has slowed down manufacturing.
