Trudeau Reveals Plan for $30B, Decade-Long Investment in Public Transit

July 17, 2024 TruthUSA

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that applications are now open for a national transit fund aimed at providing funding for existing transit systems to expand, improve, and modernize.

The Canada Public Transit Fund, totaling $30 billion over 10 years, has been in development for months and was included in the recent federal budget.

This funding will be allocated into three categories: baseline funding for existing systems, metro-region agreements for major cities in Canada, and funding for specific projects in rural communities, Indigenous communities, and active transportation initiatives.

The government plans for this fund to complement the Housing Accelerator Fund by linking housing projects to public transit infrastructure.

The plan also involves removing mandatory minimum parking requirements for new constructions and enabling high-density housing near transit hubs.

Although the fund will not be disbursed for another two years, applications for baseline funding and metro agreements opened on July 17.