2022 Budget Ask from Keep Transit Moving Coalition
Friday, February 25th, 2022
RE: Budget 2022 recommendations on public transit
Dear Minister Freeland,
We hope this letter finds you and your family healthy and safe.
We appreciate your government’s leadership during the COVID-19 crisis and your support, in particular, for public transit funding especially with the recent announcement of one-time emergency operations funding.
As a coalition of Canadian organizations concerned with transit, we are pleased to provide you with recommendations for Budget 2022.
The Keep Transit Moving Coalition brings together dozens of riders’ associations, unions, environmental and health groups from across the country. Founded in the spring of 2020, the coalition seeks to win affordable and efficient public transit for all Canadians. We believe transit contributes to the country’s economic vitality and to the fight against climate change and inequality.
Recovery and Rebuild: An Opportunity to Seize
Sustainable mobility has gained much public attention in recent years, and it is now time to seize the opportunity. When the pandemic has eased, it is crucial that we see a rapid and robust return of ridership. To facilitate this, the government must commit substantial funding to public transit. Please remember that transit investments are just that: investments, not expenses. Every $1 invested in public transportation generates $5 in economic returns according to the American Public Transit Association.
To achieve the goals we all share -- particularly regarding air quality and greenhouse gas reductions -- we must prioritize public investment in transit over more energy-intensive forms of transportation. Transit, helps transition Canada to a net zero economy, tackles traffic congestion, boosts the economy, creates jobs,and promotes economic justice. It helps people of all ages, abilities and income levels to access jobs, services and recreational opportunities. Paratransit for seniors and people with disabilities is critical to the quality of life of our most vulnerable citizens, as well as the functioning of the health care system.
The pandemic has also highlighted the importance of public transit as a social safety net: essential workers such as PSWs, nurses, grocery workers, and doctors rely on transit to get to work.
Pre-budget Submission
Having outlined transit’s vital role, we would like to submit the following recommendations as you prepare Budget 2022:
1) Establish permanent funding for transit operations
While we applaud your government’s support for transit infrastructure as well as the recent announcement of funding for transit operations, it is important to remember that infrastructure projects create additional financial pressure on transit agencies. To ensure quality service and to maintain services’ affordability, we urge you to provide funding for operations but also to make that funding permanent.
As noted by the Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA) and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), for every 10% drop in ridership, transit agencies lose $475 million across Canada. We know that it will take more than just one injection of funding to get agencies out of this crisis. As well, this pandemic has proven that transit agencies cannot solely rely on farebox revenue for funding. For these reasons, we are asking that your government provide operations funding to municipalities on a permanent basis.
2) Funding towards the creation of national, intercity, highway bus service
Rural and Indigenous communities in Canada have been and are chronically underserviced by public transit, creating transit deserts in which individuals are unable
to travel safely to neighbouring communities for work, medical appointments, grocery stores or leisure. This situation leaves thousands of people across Canada without an intercity bus service, forcing them to commute by car, hitchhike or use unregulated ridesharing.
The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) Report highlights adequate intercity bus transit as a key step to reconciliation. A national Intercity and Highway Bus Service, with ongoing funding and operational support, would provide a Canada-wide opportunity to address the dangerous issue of isolation among Indigenous and remote communities, moving us further along the road towards a more just and inclusive Canada.
Now, more than ever, we need to invest in low-carbon public transit that will create jobs and connect people across this country to their families, communities, employmen tand vital services.
This service should be developed in partnership with provincial and municipal governments, Indigenous groups, transit providers, VIA Rail Canada, and related advocacy organizations. Such a service should complement and connect with existing passenger rail and bus services, not compete with them. Provincial governments should provide additional funding and be given the option of operating routes that do not cross provincial boundaries.
3) Maintain previously-announced investments in transit infrastructure
The federal government’s capital transit fund -- which supports major capital projects like new transit lines -- helped move public transit in the right direction. These investments will help build a real green economic recovery. Sustained and active national leadership is needed for Canada to meet our national goals for the climate emergency, inclusion and social justice.
These investments will make it possible to meet the population's expectations in terms of sustainable mobility. The criteria for allocating capital spending must be multiple and varied so that public transit projects can be financed in medium-sized communities.
4) Increase investment in transit infrastructure
This would include high-return investments such as bus priority lanes and transit signal priority, as well as maintenance and power-supply facilities for rapidly-growing e-bus
fleets. Asset maintenance is crucial so existing infrastructure is optimally maintained and its useful life maximized. Part of this investment should come from redirecting funds currently allocated for highway expansion projects.
5) Improving Accessible Transit
Removing barriers means providing more accessible vehicles, stations and transit facilities and transit information that can be easily accessed by all. Acting on these types of measures can create truly universal transit and paratransit systems across the country.
The Canadian Transportation Agency has introduced legislation, mandating public and private organizations be accessible. Transit systems, however, aren't addressed adequately and they lack the resources to implement full accessibility.
Ensuring that transit interchanges, intercity bus stops and railway stations have sheltered, safe waiting areas with accessible washroom facilities is crucial.
All parties need to take a holistic approach when it comes to tackling mobility justice and look at all aspects of a transit system if they are going to make public transit a space where all can move around freely.
Measures we are asking for would include: (1) an accessibility audit of all transit infrastructure across Canada, (2) more funding to local transit agencies to improve and expand para-transit services and ensure that these services stay public and (3) Make vehicle accessibility grants available to Canadian motorcoach operators, subject to a condition that any vehicle covered by grant funding must be used in highway motorcoach service for at least 80% of it service hours.
Conclusion
When your government announced more funding for transit operations earlier this month, we were very encouraged to see the Prime Minister’s renewed commitment to transit. But now we urge you to make this support permanent so that we can adequately tackle the twin crises of transit funding and climate .
In sum, given the climate emergency and the vital need to promote social and economic equity, increased transit investments are essential.
Should you require further detail on our recommendations, we would be very pleased to meet with you or your staff.
In any event, we would like to hear your response to our suggestions.
Thank you for considering our requests.
Yours,
The Keep Transit Moving Coalition
La Coalition pour le transport collectif canadien