Ontario’s provincial finance minister is urging the federal government to reconsider part of its latest budget.
Peter Bethlenfalvy issued a statement early Wednesday which was critical of the federal government’s “lack of dedicated funding” for GO Transit services.
Earlier this week, Ontario announced its plans to add 300 new GO Train trips to the region, in what Premier Doug Ford called the “largest GO train expansion in more than a decade.”
The planned service increase would expand the two-way, all-day GO service for the Milton, Lakeshore West, Lakeshore East, Kitchener, and Stouffville rail lines.
However, a lack of collaboration from the federal government’s latest budget has left Ontario’s finance minister “disappointed.”
Bethlenfalvy says that while the budget has responded to Ontario’s call for more housing-enabling infrastructure funding, it doesn’t support Ontario’s push to develop its transit infrastructure.
READ MORE: ‘Largest public transit expansion’: Province adds over 300 trips to GO train service in GTA
Despite not mentioning Metrolinx’s GO Transit services, the federal budget earmarked hundreds of millions for passenger and high-frequency rail services, some of which connect back to Ontario.
Over the next five years, the federal government wants to put $462.4 million towards VIA Rail operations throughout the country, with a focus on replacing “its aging fleet on routes outside the Quebec City-Windsor corridor.”
Still, there is good news for Ontario. The federal government says it intends to set aside another large sum of money for high-frequency rail, namely between Quebec City and Toronto.
The federal government plans to divvy $371.8 million over the next six years between Transport Canada and VIA Rails’ high-frequency rail project.
The federal government says it also wants to introduce new legislative amendments that would stimulate the crown corporations’ ability to build the high-speed rail between the two major cities.
“Canada’s busiest passenger railway is between Quebec City and Toronto, home
to nearly half of Canada’s population — and the region is only expected to grow,” reads the budget.
As of now, the project is still undergoing its request for proposals phase but the government says the rail project could become one of the “largest Canadian infrastructure projects in generations.”