Thursday, March 28, 2024
ADVT 
National

Feds tap transit funds for electric buses

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 04 Mar, 2021 08:20 PM
  • Feds tap transit funds for electric buses

The federal Liberals are setting aside some of the billions of dollars planned in short-term transit spending to help municipalities further green their bus fleets.

The hope is that the $2.75 billion in traditional grant money will dovetail with the $1.5 billion an infrastructure-financing agency is supposed to invest toward the same cause.

Infrastructure Minister Catherine McKenna says the grant money is supposed to help cover the upfront cost of purchasing electric buses to replace the diesel-powered ones rumbling through Canadian streets.

She says federal funding has helped cities buy 300 buses and the government hopes the funding will help them add 5,000 zero-emission buses over the next five years.

But she acknowledged there are added costs that need to be addressed, including having charging stations on transit routes and in existing depots.

The Liberals are hoping cities then turn to the Canada Infrastructure Bank to finance the cost of the remaining work.

The bank's chief executive, Ehren Cory, says the energy savings expected from not having to buy diesel could, for instance, be used to pay off a low-interest loan from his agency.

"It's quite a from-the-ground-up reinvestment and the savings will pay for a lot of that, but not for all of it," he said, via video link.

"That's why the combination of a grant from the government, a subsidy, combined with a loan against savings together will allow us to get the most done, allow us to make wholesale change quickly and do so at minimal impact to taxpayers."

Garth Frizzell, president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, welcomed the funding as a way to speed up work in cities to replace diesel buses.

"We are already putting more electric vehicles on our streets, and this major funding to electrify transit systems across the country will reduce GHG emissions, boost local economies, and help meet Canada’s climate goals," he said in a statement.

McKenna made the same connections multiple times during an event Thursday in Ottawa, where she stood near the city's mayor, Jim Watson, with Cory and Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne joining by videoconference.

Joanna Kyriazis, senior policy adviser at Clean Energy Canada, noted that the investments could help the country's six electric-bus manufacturers scale up to compete internationally.

“As Canada develops its battery supply chain — from raw metal and mineral resources to our North-America-leading battery recycling companies — we must build the market for electric vehicles and their batteries at home," she said in a statement.

The Liberals are promising billions in permanent transit funding as part of a post-pandemic recovery, including $3 billion annually in a transit fund starting in five years.

Cities have seen transit ridership plummet through the pandemic as chunks of the labour force work remotely. Demand for single-family homes well outside urban cores suggests some workers are expecting remote work to become a more regular fixture of their post-pandemic work lives.

McKenna said her thinking about public transit hasn't been changed by that shift, saying her only thought is that Canada needs more and better systems. It's up to cities and transit agencies to set routes and priorities, she said.

"The reality is many of our essential workers have no other option than to take public transit. And I think we've recognized how important it is for people to be able to get around in a safe way," McKenna said.

MORE National ARTICLES

Two youths arrested in bust of drug cache site

Two youths arrested in bust of drug cache site
Two 16-year-old males were arrested; one is alleged to have been in possession of a loaded handgun at the time of his arrest.

Two youths arrested in bust of drug cache site

Walnut Grove Secondary School evacuated over alleged bomb threat: Langley RCMP

Walnut Grove Secondary School evacuated over alleged bomb threat: Langley RCMP
All students and staff were evacuated safely. The Langley RCMP and Lower Mainland Police Dog Services conducted an extensive search of the school and grounds and deemed the area safe.

Walnut Grove Secondary School evacuated over alleged bomb threat: Langley RCMP

Trudeau Government Extends Wage and Rent Subsidy Amounts Through to June

Trudeau Government Extends Wage and Rent Subsidy Amounts Through to June
Today, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, the Honourable Chrystia Freeland, announced that the government intends to extend the current rate structures for these subsidies from March 14 to June 5, 2021.

Trudeau Government Extends Wage and Rent Subsidy Amounts Through to June

Kielburgers refuse request to testify

Kielburgers refuse request to testify
In a statement, the charity notes that New Democrat MP Charlie Angus has requested that the RCMP and the Canada Revenue Agency investigate WE's operations.

Kielburgers refuse request to testify

U.K., Israel studies show single dose effective

U.K., Israel studies show single dose effective
B.C. provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry has said the plan is based on research in the two countries as well as evidence collected by the BC Centre for Disease Control and in Quebec.

U.K., Israel studies show single dose effective

Ex-ombud says he told Sajjan about Vance in 2018

Ex-ombud says he told Sajjan about Vance in 2018
Sajjan at that time repeatedly refused to say what he and Walbourne discussed during their meeting on March 1, 2018, citing confidentiality.

Ex-ombud says he told Sajjan about Vance in 2018