Canada to invest $800 million in public transit

Under a new deal, the government of Canada will invest up to $800 million over two years in its public transit systems. The announcement was made Wednesday by Canada's Minister of State John Godfrey. These funds will be separate from, and in addition to, the five-year $5 billion gas-tax money announced in February for enivironmentally sustainable municipal infrastructure. This investment will support environmental objectives such as reducing air pollution and limiting emissions that contribute to global warming. Distribution of the investment to provinces and territories will be done on a per capita basis, and based largely on transit ridership. Funds will be used to refurbish and replace fleets, upgrade and refurbish terminals and garages, invest in new tunnels, stations and other structures and utilize new intelligent transportation systems designed to improve services for both passengers and operators.