The County of Prince Edward will be receiving nearly $150,000 from the Province of Ontario to support expansion and improvement of local public transit services.

The funding is part of the province’s gas tax program which will allocate more than $379.5 million to help 107
municipalities operate and improve local transit.

Commonly referred to as Gas Tax program, the funding for the initiative is determined by the number of litres of gasoline sold in the province during the previous year. Friday’s announcement detailed a $146,397 funding envelope destined to Prince Edward County.

The City of Belleville ($833,872) and Quinte West ($536,351) were also included in the announcement.

Municipalities that support public transit services in their community receive two cents per litre of provincial gas tax revenue collected. Gas tax funding can be used to extend service hours, buy transit vehicles, add routes, improve accessibility, or upgrade local infrastructure.

To make up for reduced gas sales due to ongoing recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s gas tax program includes one-time additional funding of $80 million to help ensure municipalities can continue to support their transit systems. Overall across Canada, The provincial and federal governments are providing up to $2.65 billion through the Safe Restart Agreement to support municipal transit systems in response to COVID-19.

“Our government knows that municipal transit systems are essential to the success of our local communities, connecting people and families to jobs, housing and wherever they need to go,” said Todd Smith, MPP for Bay of Quinte. “Under Premier Ford’s leadership, we continue to step up to the plate to provide the funding municipalities need to ensure transit remains a safe and reliable option here in Bay of Quinte and right across the province.”

The province is also is developing regional plans that will help build a better transportation system across Ontario. The province has released four draft regional transportation plans for Northern Ontario, southwestern Ontario, the Greater Golden Horseshoe and eastern Ontario.

“Public transit is a key driver of economic growth in Ontario, helping people get to where they need to go, whether it is to work, school, or run errands,” said Caroline Mulroney, Minister of Transportation. “As more people return to public transit, our government is providing municipalities with the funding they need to accommodate growing ridership, while ensuring they can continue to deliver safe and reliable transit service for people in their communities.”

-Staff