No. H129/02For release - December 11, 2002
OTTAWA — Transport Minister David Collenette today announced the 15 municipalities from across Canada to receive funding under the Urban Transportation Showcase Program. Each municipality will receive up to $30,000 to develop and submit more detailed proposals on projects designed to lower greenhouse gas emissions from transportation in their cities.
The municipalities were chosen by a selection committee which reviewed 48 proposals from municipalities across Canada. The successful municipalities are: Gatineau, the Greater Vancouver Regional District, Halifax, London, Moncton, Montreal, Ottawa, Quebec City, Saint John, Toronto, Victoria, Waterloo, Whitehorse, Winnipeg, and York Region.
"The Government of Canada is committed to finding new and innovative solutions to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions through a mix of technology applications, infrastructure enhancements and behavioural change," said Mr. Collenette. "Transportation accounts for about a quarter of Canada's greenhouse gas emissions, and these projects will continue our work towards finding sustainable transportation solutions."
The Urban Transportation Showcase Program, with a budget of $40 million over five years, is designed to promote alternative strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from transportation in municipalities. The program is part of the Government of Canada's Action Plan 2000 on Climate Change.
The municipalities selected have four months to develop and submit their detailed proposals. The selection committee will then review the proposals and assist the Minister in selecting at least four from across Canada for implementation. Information from the showcases and other sustainable transportation best practices will be shared with cities across Canada through a national information network.
Funding for this project was provided for in the December 2001 federal budget and is therefore built into the existing financial framework.
Backgrounders on the Urban Transportation Showcase Program and the municipalities selected to develop more detailed proposals are attached.
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Contact:Anthony PolciDirector of CommunicationsOffice of the Minister, Ottawa(613) 991-0700
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BACKGROUNDERURBAN TRANSPORTATION SHOWCASE PROGRAM
The Urban Transportation Showcase Program is a key component of the Government of Canada's Action Plan 2000 on Climate Change. The $40 million program calls for the creation of community showcase programs to demonstrate and evaluate ways of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from transportation and to address other urban challenges, such as air quality, congestion, safety and rising operating costs.
The program was developed in consultation with provincial, territorial, municipal and other partners in response to the 1999 Transportation Climate Change Table Report. The report identified a need for Canada to develop better planning and practices for transportation and land use. A two-stage, nation-wide competitive process to select four or more Canadian cities to showcase their strategies for dealing with these urban challenges is underway.
The showcases may include: transportation services, infrastructure investments, demand management initiatives, land use strategies, pricing strategies, public outreach and advanced technologies.
An independent selection committee, consisting of seven members - Richard Soberman (chair), Jack Chadirdjian, Douglas Floyd, Anthony David Perl, Michael Poulton, Barry Prentice and Rhoda Witherly - was established by the Transport Minister in July 2002 to review the expressions of interest submitted by municipalities. The 15 municipalities selected for the second phase of the program will be provided up to $30,000 in funding and given four months to develop and submit their detailed project proposals. The committee will review the final proposals and assist the Minister in selecting at least four showcase proposals from across Canada for implementation.
Public education and outreach will be an important component of the program, and will include seminars, workshops and regular reports on the implementation and results of the showcases. This approach will lay the foundation for communities to adopt best technologies and strategies across Canada by 2010.
The Government of Canada Action Plan 2000 on Climate Change, which commits $500 million in funding over five years to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, is expected to take Canada about one-quarter of the way to the greenhouse gas reduction target set by the Kyoto Protocol.
Detailed program information is available on Transport Canada's Web site at www.tc.gc.ca/programs/environment/utsp/menu.htm
December 2002
BACKGROUNDERMUNICIPALITIES SELECTED FOR PHASE TWO
Fifteen municipalities have been chosen to receive funding under the Urban Transportation Showcase Program to develop detailed project proposals.
Gatineau emphasizes park-and-ride, as well as more reserved bus lanes as a means of improving the competitiveness of public transit. This proposal also includes the use of hybrid electric bus technology.Contact: Salah Barj, Société de transport de l'Outaouais. Tel: (819) 770-7900 ext. 6917
The Greater Vancouver Regional District proposes an innovative, broadly based combination of programs involving development of land use patterns that support greater transit use and the application of a variety of transportation demand measures, including a universal transit pass and main street transit priority corridors.Contact: Stephen Rees, TransLink (GVTA). Tel: (604) 453-4561
Halifax proposes maximizing the passenger, as opposed to the vehicle, carrying capacity of existing under-utilized corridors and possibly reducing road space for automobile use and increasing space for transit.Contact: David McCusker, Halifax Regional Municipality. Tel: (902) 490-6696
London proposes an integrated package targeting parking as a key to control traffic. In addition, a number of traditional travel demand management mechanisms are also included.Contact: Lorenzo Mele, City of London. Tel: (519) 661-5389
Moncton's proposal combines complementary transportation and land use plans including improved transit service, parking management, park and ride, and incorporation of parking and transit charges within an integrated 'smart' card technology.Contact: Geoff Greenough, City of Moncton. Tel: (506) 853-3527
Montreal proposes the use of a fleet of electric vehicles based in downtown Montreal and at selected suburban commuter rail stations, intended for trips in areas that cannot be well served by conventional public transit.Contact: Jean Bertrand, Ville de Montréal. Tel: (514) 872-5964
Ottawa proposes a multifaceted approach to reclaiming a busy city street (Carling Avenue) from cars and trucks to make the street more friendly to transit and pedestrians.Contact: Dennis Jacobs, City of Ottawa. Tel: (613) 580-2424 ext. 25521
Quebec suggests a unique solution to accommodating residential and tourist travel demand using frequent mini-bus service within the walls of the old city.Contact: Benoît Andrews, Ville de Quebec. Tel: (418) 691-7655
Saint John intends to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through new park-and-ride facilities served by transit and augmented by improved traffic signal synchronization.Contact: Terry Gray, City of Saint John. Tel: (506) 658-2835
Toronto's proposal, through the establishment of transportation management associations, offers potential for cost-effective, private-sector financial support based on car pooling/van pooling as an alternative, particularly in areas where employment sites have poor access to rapid transit.Contact: Jennifer Hyland, City of Toronto. Tel: (416) 392-9714
Victoria focuses on reducing car use through transportation management associations, transit priority and the use of double-deck buses to increase transit capacity.Contact: Brad Dellebuur, City of Victoria. Tel: (250) 361-0325
Waterloo proposes linking three communities with cycle-friendly, express bus service along a clearly defined corridor, incorporating information technology to provide real-time transit information and web-based trip planning opportunities.Contact: Graham Vincent, Regional Municipality of Waterloo.Tel: (519) 575-4489
Whitehorse, recognizing the extreme climate conditions of the North, as well as the need for practical solutions in small communities, stresses public education and the use of community-based design as a means of influencing individuals to alter their travel behaviour.Contact: Sabine Schweiger, City of Whitehorse. Tel: (867) 668-8312
Winnipeg provides a rapid transit bus corridor approach for auto trip reduction on main routes connected to the downtown. The proposal offers a comprehensive approach for developing more sustainable choices for people using the Pembina Highway.Contact: Andrew Cowan, City of Winnipeg. Tel: (204) 986-6357
York Region intends to convert existing high volume bus routes to a central two-lane bus transitway on the York section of Yonge Street. The intention is to eventually integrate the transitway with the TTC Finch Subway station.Contact: Paul May, Region of York. Tel: 1-877-464-9675 ext. 5029
December 2002
