Manitoba gets funding for public transit infrastructure

WINNIPEG — Government officials were recently in Winnipeg to highlight public transit features of Budget 2017 and announce more than $6.6 million in combined funding for public transit projects in Manitoba.

The feds are providing up to 50 per cent of the eligible cost of 43 projects — more than $3.1 million through the Public Transit Infrastructure Fund. The province is providing approximately $1.5 million, and local municipalities are contributing the balance of the funding or about $2 million. These investments are part of the bilateral agreement between Canada and Manitoba, announced on July 25, 2016, and are in addition to approximately $102 million in federal funding announced that day for 23 water and wastewater projects and four public transit projects, a government release indicates.

The funding will support a variety of public transit infrastructure projects, including new handi-vans for mobility-impaired passengers in 28 Manitoba municipalities.

"Investments in public transit infrastructure make it possible for Canadian communities to build the new urban transit networks and service extensions that will transform the way that Canadians live, move and work," said Jim Carr, minister of natural resources, in a statement.