No. H119/11
For release - December 2, 2011
MARKHAM, ONTARIO — Costas Menegakis, Member of Parliament for Richmond Hill; Michael Chan, Member of Provincial Parliament for Markham-Unionville; and Gary McNeil, GO Transit president, officially opened the new parking structure at the Centennial GO Station that is making it easier for commuters to take public transit. The upgrade created approximately 160 jobs and will benefit about 550 commuters who use the station every day.
"Our government is proud to invest in projects that create local jobs and economic growth, and improve transit infrastructure," said MP Menegakis. "The new GO Transit parking structure will provide commuters in the Markham area with better transit options, help to reduce vehicle traffic and cut commute times."
"Adding more parking spaces is one of the best ways to help encourage commuters to take GO Transit," said MPP Chan. "That's why, since 2003, the Ontario government has opened 19,500 new parking spaces across the GTHA to make it easier for people to connect to transit. Better public transit means a better quality of life for Ontario families."
"By providing more parking, we are making it easier and more convenient for people to choose GO Transit and leave their cars at home," said Mr. McNeil. "The completion of this parking structure is another example of GO's continued commitment to improving service and better meeting customer needs."
Construction began in April 2010 and is now complete, with nearly 250 new parking spaces added to respond to growing numbers of commuters at this station, bringing the total number of available spaces to 450.
The total cost of this project is $16 million. This investment is being made through the GO Transit Improvement Program, a $500-million joint investment announced by Prime Minister Harper and Premier McGuinty on February 17, 2009.
GO Transit is the Province of Ontario's interregional public transit system linking Toronto with the surrounding regions of the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA). GO carries about 57 million passengers a year and on a typical weekday runs 186 train trips and over 2,100 bus trips. GO Transit is a division of Metrolinx, an agency of the Province of Ontario. For more information on GO services, visit www.gotransit.com.
Building better public transit is part of the Government of Ontario's plan to create and support good jobs for Ontario families while securing the province's future in the new global economy.
Learn how the Government of Canada is taking important steps to support economic growth. Canada's Economic Action Plan provided almost $12 billion in new infrastructure stimulus funding over two years and accelerated the $33-billion Building Canada Plan. This will contribute to long-term economic growth in communities across Canada through investments in public infrastructure, such as roads, water treatment, green energy and transit.
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Contacts:
Pierre Floréa
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Denis Lebel
Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, Ottawa
613-991-0700
Media Relations
Transport Canada, Ottawa
613-993-0055
Karen Wilson
Constituency Manager
Office of Michael Chan, MPP
Markham-Unionville
905-305-1935
Bob Nichols
Communications
Ontario Ministry of Transportation
Toronto
416-327-1158
Vanessa Thomas
Media Relations
Metrolinx
416-874-5974
Transport Canada is online at www.tc.gc.ca. Subscribe to e-news at www.tc.gc.ca/e-news or stay connected through RSS, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Flickr to keep up to date on the latest from Transport Canada.
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