Remarks by the Deputy Prime Minister on investing in zero emission public transit infrastructure in Toronto

Toronto, ON - April 24, 2023

Good afternoon.

I would like to begin by acknowledging that we are gathered on the traditional territories of many nations, including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples.

It is great to be in Toronto today with my colleague, Ya’ara Saks, with James Maloney, with Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie, and with Fort Monaco from the TTC. This is a great day and we are all really glad to share some great news for the people of Toronto.

More than two million people every day rely on the TTC. And TTC buses are a really important part of Toronto’s public transit infrastructure.

With vehicles on the road accounting for roughly 20 per cent of total greenhouse gas emissions in Canada, we need to bring TTC buses into the 21^st century so that everyone in Toronto can enjoy a cleaner, more sustainable city and transit system.

And that is why I am proud to announce today that our federal government is investing $349 million towards electrifying the TTC’s fleet of busses.

Working with Deputy Mayor McKelvie and the City of Toronto, we are purchasing 340 zero emission buses and 248 chargers. This investment will also support upgrades to related infrastructure in bus garages, including site upgrades, equipment procurement, and charger installations.

This investment will help the TTC achieve its goal of electrifying its entire fleet by 2040 and will further reduce the city’s emissions for years into the future.

A key focus of the budget I tabled last month is our plan to build Canada’s clean economy of the 21^st century. This is essential if we are going to achieve our climate goals and remain competitive as our allies around the world build their own clean economies. 

Toronto is getting bigger every day and its appeal to the world will only continue to grow. And people here in Toronto deserve a city that grows with them.

I was proud to announce a $500 million investment in capacity improvements at Bloor-Yonge station –in my own riding of University-Rosedale—last December. And in 2021, our government announced $10.4 billion for four major transit infrastructure projects here in the GTA: the Scarborough Subway Extension, Eglinton Crosstown West, the Ontario Line, and the Yonge North Subway Extension. When complete, these projects will provide more than six million people with better access to services and public transit options across 1,200 kilometres.

Our government has and will continue to invest in Toronto’s transit infrastructure—including as part of the billions of dollars in predictable funding we announced for communities across Canada in 2021.

The investments we are making today will be critical to the future of Toronto’s economy and the daily lives of hundreds of thousands of Torontonians. They will help to build a transit system that is reliable and sustainable. And this investment will help continue to build a city we can all be proud of and be glad to live in. 

Thank you very much.