FALL RIVER: The federal government’s recent announcement they will invest upwards of $14.9 billion for public transportation might bode well for projects in the Fall River and Beaver Bank areas, the local MP said.
Darrell Samson was answering questions about the feds announcement last month, made by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, of an investment of $14.9 billion during the next eight years in public transportation projects across the country.
“How you make sure you have a great product is putting more buses that will answer to the needs of today, but you have to respect the environment,” he said.
He recalled back when he was a kid and seeing buses with a long arm sticking up in the air. It was an electric bus.
“We went away from that,” he said. “But we’re going back to electric buses, running on batteries.”
This investment includes $5.9 billion in short-term funding which will be distributed via a project-by-project basis, beginning this year.
The rest is to go toward the creation of a permanent transit fund of $3 billion per year starting in 2026. Money from that is to be earmarked following consultations with provinces, territories, municipalities, and Canada’s Indigenous communities.
According to the announcement by PM Trudeau, the permanent transit fund is meant to provide stable funding so municipalities can build and expand their public transit systems.
Samson, the MP for Sackville-Preston-Chezzetcook, sat down to talk about the funding with The Laker News. The news of the announcement was first spotted by The Laker News on Dartmouth-Cole Harbour MP Darren Fisher’s twitter.
“There something we have done in this investment, and it’s something that good government’s do as we realize the gasps and challenges,” said Samson. “Good governments try to respond to these gaps and challenges.
“We know that 95 per cent of all transit investments go to big cities like Montreal; like Toronto; like Vancouver, and here in Halifax. The needs are there, the needs are high.”
He talked about HRM and how transit funding such as this could benefit them.
“As the city gets bigger, if you’re able to have more transit then of course you’re going to have more opportunities for people to have access to those,” said Samson.
A component of the funding for transit is centered around smaller communities and ensuring they aren’t forgotten.
“They too need access. They too have seniors. They too have challenges. They too need to be careful with the environment,” said Samson, stressing his point about the funding.
“We now are saying that there will be projects for private, public access to funding for transit for rural communities”
He believes this opens the door for his communities in his riding, like Fall River and Beaver Bank both who have their own transit issues.
“I think we need groups to be ready to make applications when the funding opens up fully,” said Samson. “It’s good news because it will create good jobs for those building the buses.
“It will help us get to net zero for emissions. It will help us get more cars off the road.
“It’s a win-win-win.”