Saint John, New Brunswick, December 17, 2007 - Residents of the City of
Saint John will benefit from the construction of a new Transit Operations
Centre made possible through federal funding of up to $8.1 million from
the Public Transit Capital Trust.
The announcement was made today by the Honourable Greg Thompson,
Minister of Veterans Affairs, on behalf of the Honourable Lawrence Cannon,
Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, and by the
Honourable Roly MacIntyre, New Brunswick Minister of Supply and Services
and Minister responsible for the Regional Development Corporation, and
Norm McFarlane, Mayor of Saint John.
The new storage facility, which is expected to be approximately 115,000
square feet, was identified as a priority at the local level. The facility
will be capable of storing 64 buses and will be constructed in such a
fashion as to ensure that it can easily be expanded. The facility will be
designed and built to last and to meet transit needs for the next 50 years
in Saint John. The design will meet the standards of Leadership in Energy
and Environmental Design (LEED).
"Efficient public transit is a priority for our government and for
Canadians. That's why public transit is one of the key components of our
new $33-billion Building Canada infrastructure plan," said Minister
Thompson. "The investment announced today will provide the city of Saint
John with much-needed public transit infrastructure, and allow Saint John
Transit to provide service more efficiently."
The Public Transit Capital Trust (PTCT) is a one-time payment of $900
million, paid into a third party trust, to provinces and territories. The
PTCT is meant to support capital investments in public transit
infrastructure. The Province of New Brunswick received $20.7 million
through this initiative. In addition, the federal government also provided
$400 million to provinces and territories through the Public Transit Fund
for public transit infrastructure, of which $9.4 million has been
allocated to New Brunswick.
"The provincial government is a strong supporter of projects such as
this important one for Saint John Transit Commission," said Minister
MacIntyre. "This new transit operations centre will help enhance the
quality of service for users and the quality of life for the workers."
"With anticipation of the new building for Transit, this funding from
the government will enable us to build a new structure with costs being
shared by all levels of government," said Mayor McFarlane.
Funding for public transit is one component of the partnership
investments Canada's Government is making in infrastructure. Through its
unprecedented $33-billion Building Canada infrastructure plan, the
Government of Canada will provide long-term, stable and predictable
funding to help meet infrastructure needs across Canada. Building Canada
will support a stronger, safer and better country.
Contacts :
Karine WhitePress Secretary Office of the Minister of
Transport, Infrastructure and Communities613-991-0700
Infrastructure Canada613-948-1148
Bruce MacfarlaneRegional Development Corporation506-444-4606
