Public transit agencies and advocates gathering to lobby for federal funding heard Parliament will not be left holding the bag for what the governing Liberals see as a provincial duty.
Providers are struggling to fill funding gaps so deep they risk cratering service. So far, higher levels of government aren’t responding to their pleas for operating cash.
“We have worked together hand-in-hand with all levels of government and we’re willing to continue to do that,” Chris Bittle, parliamentary secretary to the minister for housing, infrastructure, and communities, told the assembled group on Wednesday in Ottawa.
“At the same time, we do have a lot of provincial partners who are shirking their responsibilities under public transit.”
There are funding problems across the country.
Metro Vancouver’s Translink has warned it could slash half of its service to fill a $600-million structural deficit. Montreal’s Réseau express métropolitain, the Toronto Transit Commission and Ottawa’s OC Transpo are facing shortfalls of $561 million, $354 million, and $120 million respectively.
“We find ourselves trapped in a vicious cycle,” said Marco D’Angelo, president of the Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA), at the group’s annual policy forum.
“Funding levels and those reductions lead to less frequent service. It discourages ridership and creates the worsening financial shortfalls that are already at risk of drowning Canada’s transit agencies.”
Municipalities that need to focus on the dual crises of the housing shortage and rising cost of living need outside help, CUTA’s members argue.
WATCH | How to avoid a public transit ‘death spiral’:
Ottawa’s OC Transpo has painted a grim long-term financial picture. It’s been a million dollars short of revenue projections every month this year. CBC Ottawa’s municipal affairs reporter Elyse Skura breaks down the options for cash-strapped transit agencies.
$30B federal fund excludes operations
Canada’s largest cities have been hit particularly hard by shifting commuting patterns, with the average of ridership levels about 85 per cent of what they were in 2019.
While higher levels of government momentarily staunched the bleeding with emergency funding, the now-evaporated Safe Restart Agreement seems to have only kicked the can down the road.
The federal government has pledged an unprecedented $30 billion through its Canada Public Transit Fund — which agencies wholeheartedly welcome, while questioning a post-election rollout.
However, it favours the sort of capital projects that provide photogenic ribbon-cutting events and not money for day-to-day operations.
“We’ve committed that public transit is a priority,” said Bittle.
“But at the same time, we can’t have premiers say, ‘Well, we’re not going to fund it. Go speak to the federal government.’ We’re not there to catch the ball for every time the premier drops it, as much as they would like us to. Pressure needs to be placed upon them.”
The Liberal MP said Canadians who care about transit should consider carefully who they elect.
He referenced this week’s announcement by Ontario Premier Doug Ford to examine a traffic tunnel under Highway 401, saying “that is a priority for a government that doesn’t prioritize any level of transportation except cars.”
Building political will
As most of the largest and hardest-hit agencies operate out of different provinces, the forum was an opportunity to trade strategies of how to influence the often highly political funding debate.
“Since everyone benefits, everyone should contribute. And, I want to be clear, contribute more,” said Samuel Pagé-Plouffe, from the Quebec-based sustainability group Vivre en Ville. “That includes provincial governments.”
Andrew McCurran, TransLink’s director of strategic planning and policy, expanded on that point, laying out a multi-tiered strategy for articulating transit’s economic and social value — along with its ability to improve traffic congestion and lower emissions.
“We’re being asked to contribute to climate goals, to housing and affordability goals, to support immigration, welcoming new Canadians, productivity, economic development. It’s a lot of goals,” he said.
“Our success in delivering on those policy outcomes is actually in a number of cases aggravated our funding challenge.”
Transit operators have long relied on proceeds from the gas tax as a way to ensure drivers support transit operations, but that money is less than it once was.
Agencies like TransLink have explored local options, including parking fees and real estate development, but they say ensuring Canada’s public buses and trains don’t drive off a mounting fiscal cliff will take outside help.