Cities issue united call for 'new deal' on public transit funding

Cities across Canada are calling on the federal government to develop a new and more sustainable cost-sharing model for public transit as they struggle to maintain service. 

Public transit agencies across the country are in dire financial straits, with the biggest cities facing shortfalls of well over $100 million. 

They came together in Ottawa on Monday at a transit summit organized by Environmental Defence Canada, where they shared similar stories of falling fare box revenue, rising reliance on discounted passes and overcrowding.

"We've been doing our part. They need to do theirs," said Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West, who also chairs the mayors' council for Metro Vancouver's TransLink. "They need to stop looking at transit as an act of charity." 

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Beyond the lingering impacts of the pandemic, West said agencies are feeling the pinch from lower gas tax revenue and pressure from cities to use limited property tax funds elsewhere.

Record-breaking growth caused by federal immigration policies adds more pressure, he added.  

Feds hold fast on operating funds

 West said the federal government needs to "step up" and recognize that its decisions have brought transit agencies to a "breaking point." 

The joint declaration co-signed by four cities and over a dozen transit groups demands: 

• An accelerated rollout for the $30-billion federal fund for capital projects.
• A new agreement from all levels of government on how to fund operations.
• Enshrined legislation to protect the long-term sustainability of funding.

MP Peter Fragiskatos, parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, spent much of his time at the summit emphasizing its extensive post-election capital funding project. 

"We want to put funding towards capital expenditure. Without that, nothing happens," he told CBC.

The federal government created the fund as a direct result of advocacy, he said, and now provinces need to open up their ears.

"Operating dollars are something that provinces are responsible for," he emphasized. 

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Transit aligns with Liberal priorities, argues mayor

The assembled mayors, transit agencies and advocates acknowledged that the message is far from new, but said the approach is.

"We're all united and we're all saying the same thing, and we need to get the federal government to to pay attention," said Nate Wallace, clean transportation program manager at Environmental Defence. 

With a federal election on the horizon, Wallace said that should prove hard for any party to ignore. 

"The fight for transit is the fight for our lives," he said. "We need to be thinking about transit as such as an essential public service."

Attendees made similar points, arguing that transit helps the economy by giving lower-income Canadians better opportunities, and helps ease congestion on city streets. 

"So many of the things that [federal politicians] say they care about — housing, climate, affordability — are all underpinned by having a properly functioning transit system," argued West.

"I don't know how you can say that you genuinely care about these things and want to see them progress, but when it comes to transit say, 'Oh no, that's not our job.'"

MP Taylor Bachrach, the NDP transport critic, told summit attendees his party supports the call for a new deal. The summit did not feature a speech from a Conservative MP. 

Agencies try to remain hopeful

The continued lack of operational support from the federal government is exhausting, said John Di Nino, national president of the Amalgamated Transit Union. 

"Every municipality and every transit agency is dealing with their crisis on their own. It's not a new phenomenon. It's not a specific phenomenon. It's something that is running rampant across our country," he told CBC. "It really feels like our voices aren't being heard." 

Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, who has been leading his own campaign for increased transit funding from both the federal and provincial governments, was unable to attend the summit. 

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Coun. Glen Gower, who chairs the city's transit commission and represented the city on Sutcliffe's behalf, categorized the funding issue as a "structural" problem that must be addressed.

"It's a responsibility for all levels of government — for municipal, for provincial and for the federal government," he said. 

Gower remains hopeful the funding will come through, saying the mayor has already had "really productive and positive conversations" with his counterparts in higher levels of government. 

Ottawa Morning8:56Cities make urgent call for 'new deal' on public transit funding

Cities from across Canada are calling on the federal government to develop a new and more sustainable cost-sharing model for public transit, as agencies struggle to maintain service.