March 23, 2006
STRENGTHENING ONTARIO'S TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE
New $1.2 Billion Investment In Transit, Roads And Bridges
In this Budget, the McGuinty government is building opportunity through Move Ontario, a major, one-time $1.2 billion investment in the province's public transit systems, municipal roads and bridges.
The Ontario economy outperformed both the private-sector and government projections in 2005, resulting in unanticipated additional revenues. The McGuinty government has made a strategic and prudent choice to invest more than 60 per cent of the one-time revenues to pay down Ontario's transportation infrastructure deficit.
The government's public transit investments through Move Ontario could lead to projects totalling about
$2.5 billion in value, that, together with provincial funding for municipal roads and bridges, have the potential to generate up to 27,000 jobs across Ontario. Move Ontario will create a competitive advantage, economic growth and a higher standard of living for the people of Ontario.
GTA Public Transit
This Budget includes a new one-time investment of $838 million in transit in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) — the largest provincial investment in municipal transit infrastructure improvements in the GTA since the mid-1970s. This includes providing $670 million through a Move Ontario Trust to Toronto and York Region, enabling them to extend the subway to the Vaughan Corporate Centre at Highway 7, and providing $167 million to Mississauga, Brampton and York Region for transit projects.
Extending the subway to York Region would:
- extend the subway system into the 905 region, crossing a regional boundary for the first time;
- eliminate 30 million car trips annually;
- improve connections with VIVA — York Region's transit system — Brampton Transit and GO Transit;
- provide rapid transit service to more than 65,000 individuals commuting to York University;
- help address rapid growth in York Region, which has grown by more than 50 per cent over the past 10 years; and
- reduce congestion on the Yonge line by diverting 10 per cent of passengers to the Spadina line.
In addition to the Move Ontario investment, the Province is providing a one-time $200 million transit investment to the City of Toronto that the City will be able to use to support subway operations.
The Move Ontario enhancements to GTA public transit systems would:
- provide $95 million to the City of Brampton, enabling the City to provide express transit service on several streets, including Queen Street and Main Street, through the $280 million Brampton AcceleRide project. The first phase of this project would be operational by 2008;
- provide $65 million to the City of Mississauga, enabling the City to build the Mississauga Transitway, a $259 million project for a separate bus right-of-way along Highway 403 and Eglinton Avenue. The Province will also support the Transitway through an additional $25 million in GO Transit investments. The Transitway would carry 5,000 to 10,000 people per hour at peak times in 2011;
- provide $7 million in York Region for the environmental assessment and detailed planning required for Phase II of VIVA Transit; and
- provide $1 million towards an environmental assessment relating to the future of the Scarborough subway.
Greater Toronto Transportation Authority
The Government of Ontario will improve the planning and coordination of public transit in the GTA by:
- introducing legislation in 2006 to establish the Greater Toronto Transportation Authority (GTTA). The GTTA would plan, coordinate and set priorities for public transit investments and major regional roads; and
- helping to develop the GTA Fare Card System. This integrated-ticket system will allow people to move easily across nine municipal transit systems and GO Transit with a single fare card. The system will begin to link Mississauga Transit and GO Transit services in 2007.
Improving Municipal Roads and Bridges Across Ontario
Under Move Ontario, the government is providing a one-time injection of $400 million to municipalities — primarily outside the GTA, with emphasis on rural and northern communities — to assist with road and bridge maintenance and construction projects. That's enough to repair up to 800 bridges or to resurface 3,000 kilometres of two-lane municipal roads — about the distance from Thunder Bay to Ottawa and back.
The Move Ontario projects are in addition to the McGuinty government's five-year, $30 billion ReNew Ontario infrastructure plan.
Supporting Transit Across Ontario
The Province will provide municipalities with greater flexibility on the use of the gas tax transfer. Municipalities will no longer be restricted to using this funding for capital transit expansion purposes. They will now also be able to use this funding for transit-system operations.
By October 2006, the government will have fulfilled its commitment to permanently provide two cents of the gas tax each year to municipalities. In five years, this program will have delivered more than $1.4 billion to public transit in Ontario.
The government is also moving forward with a new, predictable, multi-year municipal bus replacement program. To ensure existing demands are satisfied until the new program is up and running, the Province is providing $114 million to those municipalities that have placed orders for new buses or bus refurbishments.
Contact:
Scott Blodgett
Ministry of Finance
416-325-0324
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You can access the 2006 Budget and all related documents at www.ontariobudget.ca,
or by calling 1-800-337-7222.
