Barrie will be getting some much-needed financial help from both the provincial and federal governments to assist with public transit.
On April 2, between provincial and federal help, eligible municipalities will see $1.62 billion shared among them under the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP).
Barrie will see the Ontario government provide about $19 million that, when combined with the federal and municipal government cash, will total more than $58 million going into the city’s growing transit system.
Mayor Jeff Lehman told BarrieToday that while projects will need to be approved at a provincial level, the money is guaranteed.
“This is what we refer to as envelope-funding, in that the money is there for the municipality, but we just need approval on how we use it,” he said. “To that, this is the second round of funding of its kind and we had no issues on approval the first time, so we look forward to getting some big projects dealt with.”
One of the big projects Lehman believes the money will go toward is the proposed Allandale transit hub near Essa Road and Tiffin Street. If approved by council, it will see an expansion and redevelopment of the Allandale location, with city transit connections and which is also expected to eventually to possibly include all-day GO train service.
“We really want to move our transit hub to that site and have it become the main artery for buses in the city,” said Lehman. “After that project, the big second phase would be expanding our buses and service.
"We want to particularly look at assisting with the BACTS (Barrie Accessible Community Transportation), as we have an aging demographic here and need to ensure they receive the service they need," the mayor added.
The money is over a 10-year plan, giving the city close to $6 million a year.
