McGUINTY
GOVERNMENT DELIVERS FOR MISSISSAUGA TRANSIT: YEAR THREE
Third
Year Gas Tax Fuelled Real Transit Results for Mississauga
MISSISSAUGA — The
McGuinty government is investing $15,292,103 million in Mississauga
Transit in the third year of the province’s successful gas tax program,
Transportation Minister Donna Cansfield announced today.
“We are delivering on
our commitment to pump a share of the provincial gas tax into public
transit, in Mississauga,” Cansfield said.
“This year we have increased funding from one-and-a-half to two
cents for every litre of gasoline sold in Ontario.”
Last year Mississauga
received $10,917,597 in gas tax funding.
This new money has proven to be quite an investment to our transit
system, as a result of it there has been in increase in ridership of 6% in
2005, the addition of 72 new buses, increased services along Hurontario
Street as well as expanded and new routes.
“As the former
Minister of Transportation, it has been my pleasure to announce the gas
tax funding over the last three years,” said Harinder Takhar, M.P.P. for
Mississauga Centre. “The
gas tax is evidently paying off for Mississauga because it provides
long-term, stable funding, allowing Mississauga Transit to plan
significant transit improvements at the local level.”
The McGuinty
government’s gas tax funding program has increased ridership by 23
million passenger trips and expanded and improved transit services in
Mississauga and municipalities across Ontario.
This is the equivalent of removing 19 million car trips from our
roads.
Increased ridership means
Ontarians are burning less fuel, breathing cleaner air and reducing
traffic congestion. Transit
riders benefit from more convenient and efficient transit systems.
Bill Cunningham, Director
of Mississauga Transit applauded this announcement and has said,
“Provincial Gas Tax Funding is an essential contribution to the
continued growth of Mississauga Transit. Since its introduction in
October 2004, Provincial Gas Tax Funding has enabled us to buy more buses,
implement improved services including several new routes which have
resulted in significant ridership increases. We are very grateful
that the Province has honoured it's commitment to increase the funding to
2 cents per litre for 2006/2007.”
In 2006/07 the Ontario
government is investing more than $313 million in 86 transit systems
serving 104 communities across the province.
Funding from the gas tax program is in addition to the
government’s other commitments to strengthen Ontario’s public transit.
By 2010, the government will have invested more than $1.6 billion
in gas tax funding in public transit.
Through significant
infrastructure investments, the McGuinty government is delivering better
hospitals, schools, transit systems, borders, roads and bridges -- all
necessary for future growth and prosperity.
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Contacts:
Harinder Takhar’s
office
Bob Nichols
(905) 897-8815
Communications Branch
(416)
327-1158
