New Transit Funding Sources

[Midtown Urbanist]

Why the federal budget should include a cash infusion for big-city transit
Author: John Tory, Mayor of Toronto

 

[ottbike]

Public transit funding in the 2016 federal budget to be based on ridership:

 

[TheTigerMaster]

1.5 Billion for the next three years for all of Ontario. Toronto will be receiving only $1.2 Billion of this. Rest of Ontario fights for the scraps.

 

[TheTigerMaster]

Toronto should just dump this money into new streetcars, sate of good repair.

 

[Hopkins123]

1.5 Billion for the next three years for all of Ontario. Toronto will be receiving only $1.2 Billion of this. Rest of Ontario fights for the scraps.

What, what, what? Has Trudeau already forgotten where gave him his majority?

 

[W. K. Lis]

Guess the territory of Nunavut has no big cities.

 

[TOareaFan]

Guess the territory of Nunavut has no big cities.

largest city (and captial) has a population of around 7k

 

[Johnny Au]

largest city (and captial) has a population of around 7k

Here is its skyline:

 

[Tuscani01]

1.5 Billion for the next three years for all of Ontario. Toronto will be receiving only $1.2 Billion of this. Rest of Ontario fights for the scraps.

$1.5 billion for the next three years in the 2016 budget doesn't mean that's all we get. The 2017 budget will include more money on top of this, as will 2018, and 2019.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

What, what, what? Has Trudeau already forgotten where gave him his majority?

Funding by ridership share is probably as fair (and favourable within what is plausible from the Federal government) as it gets. Previous governments would have gladly divved that up by population and call it a community fund or something.

AoD

 

[kEiThZ]

Not even sure that the TTC will get a cheque. Queen's Park will be deciding who gets what.

 

[TheTigerMaster]

Not even sure that the TTC will get a cheque. Queen's Park will be deciding who gets what.

From the budget: "Funding under the program will be allocated to municipalities based on ridership..."

That means that Toronto should be recieving 75% of Ontario's share.

This allocation via ridership has also been confirmed by the Mayor and TTC Chair.

 

[BurlOak]

Funding by ridership share is probably as fair (and favourable within what is plausible from the Federal government) as it gets. Previous governments would have gladly divved that up by population and call it a community fund or something.

AoD

Based on ridership is really a way of saying that the rich get richer. Whoever had a strong existing system gets more. Those that are trying to build up a system get less.

It is like if they decide to fund a social program and distribute the funds based on income.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Based on ridership is really a way of saying that the rich get richer. Whoever had a strong existing system gets more. Those that are trying to build up a system get less.

It is like if they decide to fund a social program and distribute the funds based on income.

This is an envelope for funding transit at a provincial level - unless you want to make the case as to why a province with no track record of providing or requiring intensive transit suddenly needs it.

Actually, social programs are means tested - which would be analogous to ridership.

AoD

 

[gweed123]

Personally, I think the funding should be divided up 50% based on population and 50% based on ridership. This avoids the "rich get richer" issue BurlOak raised, while at the same time acknowledging that systems with larger ridership do have larger maintenance needs.

I'm not going to let the great be the enemy of the good though. This is certainly good news.