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TTC: Other Items (catch all)

Here's a translation from Federal Government to English.

Federal government to announce and cancel the Canada Public Transit Fund

From: No Housing, Deferred Infrastructure, and Sprawl Canada

Background

Since 2015, the Government of Canada has invested over $30 billion in more than 2,000 projects across the country, supporting a variety of construction sites, from new underground construction in Canada’s biggest cities such as the Millenium [sic] Broadway Subway Extension project in Vancouver, to construction lines in major cities such as the Finch West construction line project in Toronto, and to new transit solutions in rural communities. Funding was delivered through a variety of paperwork creating programs, continuing the Canadian policy tradition.

The Government of Canada’s commitment to strengthening paperwork, paint, and construction sites across the country is stronger than ever. Today’s announcement provides detailed information on how the new Canada Public Transit Fund will be cancelled by the inevitable Poilievre government.

The new, cancellable Canada Public Transit Fund

The new Canada Public Transit Fund (CPTF) will transform the delivery of federal funding for transit by allowing Poilievre to cancel all transit funding with one program cancellation, showing our commitment to what Paige Saunders called our "lurching, majoritarian governments."

With the launch of the new CPTF, all orders of government, and transit authorities will work together to cancel transit funding, thus ensuring higher costs for transit in the future. This approach will better respond to the needs of pickup trucks of large sizes across Canada by providing stable and predictable federal funding for projects, which is to say, not at all.

Harming Canadians

The CPTF program disables access to modern and efficient public transit infrastructure.
The upcoming cancellation of the new Canada Public Transit Fund aims to:
  • dash hopes that we can enhance capacity to meet demand for better transit services, especially in growing regions
  • dash hopes that we can reduce car dependency by increasing the use of public transit and active transportation
  • dash hopes that we can contribute to climate change mitigation and increased resilience; and
  • dash hopes that we can support economic growth and improving transportation options for equity-deserving groups

Details on the cancellation of the new Canada Public Transit Fund

The CPTF cancels longer-term transit needs and leverages the fighting between partners to cancel federal funding. With no new and cancelled existing programs, funds will not be delivered.

With the upcoming election of Pierre Poilievre, it's inevitable that we'll be voted out of office. Thus, we can promise everything from daycare to increased military spending, and know that we won't deliver. (/bleh) Thus, presenting the CPTF, which will begin spending money in two years.

Wait, isn't spending money everywhere our specialty?

Minister for No Housing, Deferred Infrastructure, and Sprawl Canada
- The Somewhat Honourable Sean Fraser

Honest Thoughts
What's even the point? Maybe PP'll be Doug Ford, but I'm not holding my breath, and I can see a cancellation of the CPTF before it ever provides any funding. Right now we're headed towards dashed hopes and lost opportunities. /sigh
transit by allowing Poilievre to cancel all transit funding with one program cancellation

Yes but then at least he has to take the heat for doing this
 
transit by allowing Poilievre to cancel all transit funding with one program cancellation

Yes but then at least he has to take the heat for doing this

Indeed. And a some of that heat will come from allies like Ford and Smith; both have non-trivial underfunded transit ambitions at the study stage (Sheppard subway, and an Edmonton/Calgary route). If not publicly, then they'll be pissed in private meetings.

The program name could be changed and some of the terms expanded to allow things like bridge replacement in small towns rather than just public transit in larger centers, but the funds will largely stay intact.
 
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This was the announcement;

So they are just talking about it now. This is an announcement for future announcements. "No $$$ yet - Vote us Liberals back in, and we promise we'll make some future announcements!"
 
So they are just talking about it now. This is an announcement for future announcements. "No $$$ yet - Vote us Liberals back in, and we promise we'll make some future announcements!"

They have said they are opening applications for the funds immediately.

But there's no (public) timeline on when any agreements flowing money/project approvals will be made. (or none that I've seen thus far)
 
They have said they are opening applications for the funds immediately.

But there's no (public) timeline on when any agreements flowing money/project approvals will be made. (or none that I've seen thus far)
The Mayor of Toronto, Premier Ford and the outgoing TTC have been begging for months.

 
The decision not to refurbish the T1s several years ago is looking increasingly foolish with every passing day.

I love it when public officials engage in brinkmanship.
 
They have said they are opening applications for the funds immediately.

But there's no (public) timeline on when any agreements flowing money/project approvals will be made. (or none that I've seen thus far)
I believe 2026 is the earliest that any funding will start flowing out the door. The Feds can approve on whatever timeline they want, but the money wont flow for at least 2 years. Par is the course with this government delaying cash flows for basically everything.
 
I believe 2026 is the earliest that any funding will start flowing out the door. The Feds can approve on whatever timeline they want, but the money wont flow for at least 2 years. Par is the course with this government delaying cash flows for basically everything.

This is correct; that would be fine for the subway car order, because payment is generally on delivery, and there won't be any new trains arriving here before 2027 at the earliest.
 
More from cp24. https://www.cp24.com/news/trudeau-s...-30b-federal-transit-fund-kicks-off-1.6966904

Published Wednesday, July 17, 2024 8:56AM EDT
Last Updated Wednesday, July 17, 2024 12:33PM EDT

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Wednesday that there is an "ongoing conversation" about new subway cars for Toronto as applications opened for the federal government’s new 10-year, $30 billion transit fund.
Trudeau made the comments on a visit to a TTC facility that repairs subway cars with Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland today.
"That is an ongoing conversation," Trudeau said when a worker asked him about funding for new trains. "We recognize the rolling stock has been expertly maintained for many many years, and there is always a need to make sure that we are increasing capacity, increasing the ability of trains to respond to growing needs."

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Mayor Olivia Chow and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland tour a TTC facility in Toronto Wednesday July 17, 2024.
Trudeau's visit marked the opening of applications to the Canada Public Transit Fund. The federal government says it plans to provide $3 billion a year over 10 years in order to fund capital transit projects. The money from the fund isn't expected to flow before 2026, but applications for projects open Wednesday.

The city has been eagerly awaiting word from Ottawa on whether the federal government will kick in hundreds of millions of dollars needed to purchase new subway trains to replace the aging Line 2 vehicles.
Outgoing TTC CEO Rick Leary warned weeks ago that the need "is very serious" and pointed to the Scarborough RT derailment as an example of what can happen when old infrastructure is refurbished "beyond its useful life."
Trudeau indicated Wednesday that while there is a conversation about new subway cars, money provided to Toronto through the new fund will not be designated by Ottawa for particular projects.
"
It’s not for the federal government to decide what the provinces are going to be spending on," he said. "We're there to be a partner on their priorities, as long as they fit within a plan that makes sense. The decisions around that are done much more at the provincial, municipal and regional level."

Speaking alongside Trudeau, Chow touted the new fund as an "incredible long-term partnership" with the federal government.
 
This seems like excellent news for the T1 replacements, which had already completed the RFP process (though presumably that can be quickly recompleted now, for a quick award). There's well over a year until the next election, and a lot of time to finalize payment schemes that future governments will be forced to stick to.

I'm not sure about the other $29 billion or so. Supposedly much of Line 7 has been almost shovel ready since for over a decade. Can the City and TTC get both that, and the Queens Quay East/Union rebuild prepped in time? I'd think that it would cover the federal share of those two projects as well.

Perhaps the best news, is that it will give us more to argue about them for the rest of the year! :)
 
This seems like excellent news for the T1 replacements, which had already completed the RFP process (though presumably that can be quickly recompleted now, for a quick award). There's well over a year until the next election, and a lot of time to finalize payment schemes that future governments will be forced to stick to.

I'm not sure about the other $29 billion or so. Supposedly much of Line 7 has been almost shovel ready since for over a decade. Can the City and TTC get both that, and the Queens Quay East/Union rebuild prepped in time? I'd think that it would cover the federal share of those two projects as well.

Perhaps the best news, is that it will give us more to argue about them for the rest of the year! :)
The other $29 billion is for the entire country spread over the next 10 years (~$ 3 Billion/year). While it sounds like a lot, it's not as much as you think from a public transit infrastructure perspective.
 
This seems like excellent news for the T1 replacements, which had already completed the RFP process (though presumably that can be quickly recompleted now, for a quick award). There's well over a year until the next election, and a lot of time to finalize payment schemes that future governments will be forced to stick to.

I'm not sure about the other $29 billion or so. Supposedly much of Line 7 has been almost shovel ready since for over a decade. Can the City and TTC get both that, and the Queens Quay East/Union rebuild prepped in time? I'd think that it would cover the federal share of those two projects as well.

Perhaps the best news, is that it will give us more to argue about them for the rest of the year! :)

I don't believe Line 7 is going to go forward in the near term, but could stand to be corrected.

As of writing, there is yet to be an agreed solution at Kennedy Station, though I understand, something is being worked out...........maybe...

There are other complications as well.

The other $29 billion is for the entire country spread over the next 10 years (~$ 3 Billion/year). While it sounds like a lot, it's not as much as you think from a public transit infrastructure perspective.

The Toronto Region's share is likely to be slightly greater than our proportion of the population, something around 10B I would think.

After the rolling stock.......

My expectations are that there will be money for:

Milton GO (the ask from Ontario is 3B)
Hurontario LRT extension to Brampton ($TBD)
WWELRT
St. George Station expansion (due to rollout shortly after Y-B is done, and will be at least as expensive.
There are some other projects outside the City likely to catch interest as well.
 
I don't believe Line 7 is going to go forward in the near term, but could stand to be corrected.

As of writing, there is yet to be an agreed solution at Kennedy Station, though I understand, something is being worked out...........maybe...

There are other complications as well.



The Toronto Region's share is likely to be slightly greater than our proportion of the population, something around 10B I would think.

After the rolling stock.......

My expectations are that there will be money for:

Milton GO (the ask from Ontario is 3B)
Hurontario LRT extension to Brampton ($TBD)
WWELRT
St. George Station expansion (due to rollout shortly after Y-B is done, and will be at least as expensive.
There are some other projects outside the City likely to catch interest as well.
Need to add the cost for the new Line 2 West Yard to service the new trains.

Need to add the various phases for Waterfront Transit plans.

If the City and TTC were smart which they are not, the would bump the 60% design for QQE up to 100% this year to allow a tender in 2025-26 and shovel in the ground to get the bypass line in service by 2030 or sooner and let the Union Loop follow at a later date on TTC timetable.

The other thing is look at rebuilding the Cherry St bridge as originally proposed back in 2008-2010 that would see the bridge length increase to allow the current line run straight compared to what is plan now as well keeping the loop that will require some rework. It will have an impact on the rail corridor that underway, but widening it that will benefit the corridor. Could go back and look at putting a GO station there as well that was also proposed.

At the same time, a new EA could start for the first phase of extending the Commissioner Line to where the Broadview extension is to happen with the Broadview LRT included in that EA with provision to allow the Commissioner Line to be extended to the Leslie Barns.

Once the EA is completed, 100% design work be started to get the shovels in the ground as well order the Cherry St LRT bridge that is supposed to be design all ready. A site on Commissioner will have to be setup the 2 sections of the bridge together since it will be the same length as the road bridge. Construction of the end piers as well the centre one will have to take place for the bridge that will have to be walked into place on barges in the river. The section of the LRT could be open by 2035
 

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