CANADA: The national and provincial governments have agreed to provide a combined C$8·8bn over 10 years to support infrastructure investment under the Canada-Ontario Partnership to Build.
The national government’s share will come through its Build Communities Strong Fund. Much of the money is intended to support a reduction in development charges and a harmonised sales tax rebate aimed at making new housing more affordable, but there will be a substantial element for investment in public transport.
GO 2.0 initiative
Under the GO 2.0 initiative, the two governments will explore options for expanding GO Transit commuter rail services across the Greater Golden Horseshoe region, using corridors owned by the freight railways.
This would include improved services along existing GO routes as well as the potential development of new services. Options under consideration are expected to include the construction of bypass tracks to increase capacity in the Milton corridor, another cross-Toronto corridor and improved connectivity to Pearson Airport.
These GO expansion initiatives are to be considered alongside plans for the Alto High Speed Rail project. The Canadian and Ontario governments have committed to work with the Québec government, the project promoters and other parties to advance the planning and development of the proposed Toronto – Québec City high speed line.
Following the announcement on March 30, the two governments said they would work to conclude agreements within 90 days on the federal contribution to previously announced priority transit projects in the Greater Toronto & Hamilton Area. These include the Ontario Line, Eglinton Crosstown West Extension, Scarborough Subway Extension, Yonge North Subway Extension and the Hamilton LRT.