Better Public Transit for the Central Fraser Valley Thanks to Federal and Provincial Funding

ABBOTSFORD, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - July 18, 2016) - Infrastructure Canada

Safe, modern and efficient public infrastructure ensures the well-being of British Columbia communities. The governments of Canada and British Columbia are committed to supporting infrastructure that helps get people to good paying jobs and back to their families after a hard day's work.

The Member of Parliament for Mission-Matsqui-Fraser Canyon, Jati Sidhu, on behalf of the Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, and the MLA for Abbotsford West, Michael de Jong, were accompanied by the Mayor of Abbotsford, Henry Braun, and the Mayor of Mission, Randy Hawes, today, to announce the BC Transit projects that will benefit the Abbotsford and Mission communities.

For Abbotsford and Mission, this means the addition of modern buses with improved technology, including closed circuit TV to improve the safety of passengers and drivers, real-time information for accuracy and precision, and automatic passenger counters that will enable BC Transit to optimize service delivery based on gathered data.

Abbotsford and Mission are also set to receive a boost to transit infrastructure with a new and expanded Central Fraser Valley Transit operations and maintenance facility that will support a fleet of cleaner burning compressed natural gas (CNG) buses. The $28 million project will position Abbotsford and Mission to meet a growing demand for transit in addition to improving operational efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Today's announcement follows the recent signature of a bilateral agreement with British Columbia that will result in more than $900 million being invested by the Government of Canada, British Columbia, and municipalities, in public transit projects across the province.

Quick Facts

• Federal funding of these projects comes from the new Public Transit Infrastructure Fund, part of Phase 1 of Investing in Canada that will provide over $10 billion in investments to support public transit systems, green infrastructure projects, and social infrastructure projects. Details on Phase 2 of Investing in Canada will be announced over the next year.

• BC Transit will continue to work with local governments to identify additional projects for funding consideration.

• In partnership with local governments, BC Transit provides access to public transit to more than 1.6 million British Columbians in 130 communities outside Metro Vancouver. As a result of the Province's commitment to transit in B.C., communities with as few as 1,000 people have access to transit, making BC Transit a unique service for smaller communities anywhere in Canada.

• The province currently provides the highest level of operating funding, per capita, for transit in Canada.

Quotes

"Public infrastructure connects people, supports job creation, and boosts economic development. This is why the Government of Canada is providing unprecedented funding for public infrastructure projects that will help grow the middle class and promote sustainable development and long-term prosperity in communities across the country. By financing projects like the Central Fraser Valley Transit operations and maintenance facility, and other BC transit projects, we will build the Canada of the 21st century and ensure a high quality of life for generations to come."

Jati Sidhu, Member of Parliament for Mission-Matsqui-Fraser Canyon, On behalf of the Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities

"B.C.'s commitment to building sustainable communities is demonstrated by the fact that we are the first province to sign an agreement with the Federal Government under the Public Transit Infrastructure Fund. The project approved for Abbotsford will benefit our community by enabling us to move forward quickly to improve our growing transit needs."

Michael de Jong, MLA for Abbotsford West and Minister of Finance

"This investment into a new transit operations and maintenance centre for the Central Fraser Valley is vital to meet the significant growth of our community and the vision of our Official Community Plan. This new facility will enable us to leverage new vehicle technologies such as CNG buses."

Henry Braun, Mayor of Abbotsford

"We are very excited to not only address the significant capacity constraints with our transit operations centre which have posed a major challenge for our growing community, we couldn't be more pleased to see our transit system jump ahead into the 21^st century with a whole new level of technology and convenience for transit users."

Randy Hawes, Mayor of Mission

These investments will meet the growing transit needs of the Central Fraser Valley. The new facility will support CNG buses which will benefit the environment and reduce operating costs."

Manuel Achadinha, President and CEO of BC Transit

Associated links

To see progress on federal infrastructure investments in British Columbia: Infrastructure Projects in British Columbia

Investing in Canada, the Government of Canada's new $120 billion infrastructure plan.

Public Transit Infrastructure Fund.

Connect with the Province of B.C. at: www.gov.bc.ca/connect.

Twitter: @INFC_eng

Web: Infrastructure Canada