No. H028/12
For release - April 5, 2012
Photo(s)
NIAGARA FALLS, ONTARIO — The Honourable Rob Nicholson, P.C., Q.C., Member of Parliament for Niagara Falls, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada; Kim Craitor, Parliamentary Assistant to Ontario's Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport (Tourism); His Worship Jim Diodati, Mayor of Niagara Falls; and Janice Thomson, Chair of the Niagara Parks Commission, today announced WEGO — the new look and name of the Niagara Falls Visitor Transportation System.
WEGO is a fun pairing of two words: "WE," communicating friendship and social activity, and "GO," suggesting adventure and exploration. It was chosen as the brand name and identity because it easily distinguishes the Niagara Falls Visitor Transportation System from the conventional municipal system.
"WEGO is another step forward for improving bus service in Niagara Falls," said Minister Nicholson. "The new system will be a great benefit to the area; it will support the local economy, provide residents and visitors with greater transit options, reduce traffic congestion and support better air quality."
"The new transportation system will have a positive impact on tourism in Niagara Falls," said MPP Craitor. "Ontario families and visitors to Niagara Falls will soon enjoy better and easier access between the city's tourism district and the Niagara parklands, which will improve their overall experience."
"The City of Niagara Falls is thrilled to welcome the WEGO Visitor Transportation System! With the WEGO expansion, visitors have a great opportunity to park their cars and stay longer in Niagara Falls," said Mayor Diodati. "Visitors can experience a ride throughout the Falls with the seamless transportation system. Locals can easily use WEGO to get to work areas along the WEGO routes, as monthly passes from Niagara Falls Transit will be honoured on the WEGO system. It will be the perfect way to enjoy the wonderful amenities the city has to offer. We are ready to hop on — hope you are, too!"
"We are excited about our partnership with the city and we look forward to the start of this service," said Ms. Thomson. "The beginning of the WEGO service helps us realize a long sought-after community and Parks goal — a more modern, integrated and fully accessible transportation system that will benefit and provide better service to all those who visit Niagara Parks and our destination."
The WEGO name and brand identity were created by Kramer Design Associates (KDA), the award-winning design firm with extensive experience delivering unique, comprehensive identity programs for the tourist, leisure and transportation markets.
In addition to announcing the WEGO brand, the City of Niagara Falls is currently taking delivery of the new buses for the WEGO Visitor Transportation System. The buses are being manufactured by Nova Bus in Saint-Eustache, Quebec, and will be delivered in phases over the coming weeks. The clean diesel buses will be fitted with the latest in intelligent transportation technology, featuring on-board screens, computer-aided dispatch/automatic vehicle locators, automated passenger counters, next stop display and announcements, transit signal priority and real-time information on the Web.
When the WEGO system is launched on June 29, 2012, 27 buses will go into service; eight existing Peoplemover stations will be upgraded; new pick-up and drop-off points will be established; a storage and maintenance facility will be constructed; and infrastructure improvements will be made along the Niagara River Parkway and Victoria Avenue.
The total cost of the WEGO Visitor Transportation System is $50 million. The Government of Canada will contribute up to $25 million. The Government of Ontario will contribute $25 million.
Economic Action Plan 2012 focuses on creating new opportunities for jobs and growth, and securing long-term prosperity for Canadians. Investing in public infrastructure is an important part of this strategy. Thanks to the Government of Canada's leadership, and our strong economic and financial fundamentals, the Canadian economy has recovered from the global recession better than most other industrialized countries. Canada has been a leader among G-7 countries throughout the recovery with more than 690,000 net new jobs created since July 2009. Find out more about the opportunities in Economic Action Plan 2012 at www.budget.gc.ca/2012/home-accueil-eng.html.
These projects also support Building Together, the Government of Ontario's long-term infrastructure plan to repair, rebuild and renew the province's roads and highways, bridges, public transit, schools and post-secondary institutions, hospitals and courthouses. Ontario has invested over $75 billion in infrastructure since 2003. Planned investment for 2012-2013 is $12.9 billion. Building modern, efficient infrastructure has created or preserved close to 100,000 jobs each year, on average, making Ontario's economy more productive and improving quality of life, now and in the future.
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Contacts:
Geneviève Sicard
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
Office of Kim Craitor, MPP
Niagara Falls, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Fort Erie
Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport (Tourism)
Ontario
905-357-0681
Tony Baldinelli, Acting Director
Communications, Marketing and Stakeholder Relations
The Niagara Parks Commission
905-356-2241, extension 220
Jim Diodati
Mayor, City of Niagara Falls
905-356-7521, extension 4201
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.
This news release may be made available in alternative formats for persons living with visual disabilities.
