6 March 2007
Toronto, OntarioPremier McGuinty,
Members of Federal and Provincial Parliament,
Councillors, Regional Chairs, and municipal officials,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Good morning.
And thank you, Jim, for that kind introduction, as well as for your leading role on the federal side in the work leading to today’s announcement.
I’d also like to thank all of you in attendance for taking time from your busy schedules to be here with us.
The number of guests present reflects the importance of the announcement that Premier McGuinty and I are making today.
Ladies and gentlemen, you’ll first have to forgive us for being a little late.
We got stuck in traffic.
And that’s sort of what I’m here to talk about.
As some of you know, I grew up in Toronto, but in the nearly 30 years since I moved west, Toronto has grown from a metropolis to a region.
And while there is much to celebrate about the GTA’s success, it has not come without a price.
It has created the one problem that unites people even more than the performance of the Leafs, and that is: gridlock.
Traffic congestion has become one of the top issues in the GTA.
It’s certainly easy to understand why.
The GTA’s crammed roadways have given rise to some of the longest commute times in North America.
The hours spent by men and women creeping to and from work is precious time away from their spouses and children, adding yet another strain on hardworking Canadian families.
Bumper-to-bumper traffic also saps some of the strength from the GTA’s economy.
According to the Toronto Board of Trade, for instance, congestion is responsible for $2 billion a year in lost productivity – two billion dollars.
This represents a huge loss for the city, the province and, indeed, the country.
However, of all the problems caused by gridlock in the GTA, perhaps none is more detrimental than the toll on the environment.
Every day, seemingly endless rows of creeping vehicles are spewing greenhouse gases and pollutants into the air we breathe.
So you have strains on the family, costs to the economy, and stress on the environment.
Gridlock is a serious problem whose effects are being felt by all residents of the GTA.
And unless we take action now, these effects are only going to become more onerous in the years ahead.
That’s why members of our government have been consulting with the province and GTA community leaders over the last several months.
We asked them to share their ideas, list their priorities, and give us their insight into the region’s current and future transportation infrastructure needs.
Their input has been an invaluable contribution to the process that led to the announcement we’re making today.
Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to announce FLOW, the long-term GTA transportation action plan of Canada’s New Government.
FLOW is about you, your families, and your businesses.
It’s about ensuring the free flow of people, traffic, and goods right across the GTA.
It’s about cutting the commute, boosting the economy, and improving air quality.
As a part of our FLOW action plan, our government will make substantial investments in the region’s public transit infrastructure, including:
An extension of the existing Spadina subway line through York University to the Vaughn Corporate Centre;
Rapid transit projects in Brampton, Mississauga, and York; and
The development of transit service plans in Durham Region.
The projects I’m announcing today will complement efforts already undertaken by the Government of Ontario.
Working together, Ottawa and Queen’s Park are going to:
Make public transit more accessible and efficient;
Improve traffic flow; and
Reduce the growth of the pollutants and greenhouse gases pumped into the air.
Today’s announcement reflects our government’s commitment to tackling real problems and providing tangible solutions for Canadians.
And it builds on the actions our new national government has already taken, such as:
The record $16.5 billion established for transportation infrastructure funding in Budget 2006;
The transit pass tax credit now in effect for all regular public transit commuters; and,
The Clean Air Act, which, for the first time ever, will regulate greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution from major industrial sectors right across the country.
Taken together, these measures are going to have a real, positive effect on our environment.
But we must do more.
And that’s why, in addition to making this major investment in the public transit infrastructure of the GTA, I’m also announcing today that our government will provide Ontario with more than half a billion dollars - in addition - to finance projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutants.
This investment, which represents Ontario’s share of the new Canada ecoTrust Fund, is designed to lessen our dependence on more traditional sources of energy while increasing the supply of clean and renewable electricity.
Through today’s investment, the province will be able to fund the projects needed to work towards this goal.
For instance, thanks to Canada ecoTrust, Ontario will be able to begin work on an east-west electrical transmission interconnect with Manitoba, which will allow for the flow of new, clean hydroelectric power to the Ontario market.
This will assist the Ontario government as it moves forward on phasing out the province’s remaining coal-fired generating stations – a goal, which, once fully realized, will result in reductions of millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.
These actions represent real, practical, achievable action on climate change.
Through ecoTrust, our government is proud to work with Ontario, and all of the provinces, in their efforts to reduce emissions.
We are taking a co-operative, balanced approach to solving the environmental challenge of our time; that is, reducing the threats of climate change and air pollution while preserving the jobs and standards of living on which our citizens depend.
Through today’s announcements, Canada’s New Government is helping steer not only Ontario to a cleaner, greener, healthier future, but indeed the entire country, because regardless of where an environmental victory is achieved in Canada, the benefits are felt by all Canadians.
Thank you.
