PORTERS LAKE, NS, July 10, 2024 /CNW/ - MusGo Rider Eastern Shore will purchase five new vehicles after a combined investment of $445,933 from the federal and provincial governments.
This was announced by Parliamentary Secretary Darrell Samson, the Honourable Kent Smith, and Colin Cameron, MusGo Rider Board Chair. MusGo Rider Cooperative is a non-profit organization that provides affordable transportation to residents living on the Eastern Shore of the Halifax Regional Municipality. It operates two branches: MusGo Rider Eastern Shore and MusGo Rider Valley-Sheet Harbour.
With this investment, MusGo Rider Eastern Shore will purchase four hybrid vans, including one that is wheelchair accessible, and one electric vehicle. Three of these vehicles will replace three of their gas vehicles while the other two will help them expand their pre-booked door-to-door transit service. These new vehicles will not only reduce MusGo Rider's greenhouse gas emissions but also help ever more residents between East Preston, Lawrencetown and Ship Harbour easily get around their community.
Quotes
"Organizations like MusGo Rider make our communities stronger by making the lives of rural Nova Scotians better. We are proud to partner with this organization to help even more people on the Eastern Shore get around safely, comfortably, and affordably, and to support MusGo Rider in reducing their carbon footprint as they do so."
Darrell Samson, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Rural Economic Development and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and Member of Parliament for Sackville–Preston–Chezzetcook, on behalf of the Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities
"Many Nova Scotians depend on community transit, especially in our more rural communities. Improving access to these services is important to ensure people can get where the need to, when they need to. The Province is proud to support organizations like MusGo Rider to provide this much needed service in their community."
The Honourable Kent Smith, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture and Member of the Legislative Assembly for the Eastern Shore
"A huge debt of gratitude to the Federal, Provincial and Municipal governments for recognizing the importance of affordable public transit to residents of our rural communities on the Eastern Shore and for supporting MusGo Rider's commitment to transitioning to more environmentally friendly transportation solutions in order to reduce our carbon emissions."
Colin Cameron, MusGo Rider Board Chair
Quick Facts
- The federal government is investing $356,746 in this project through the Rural Transit Solutions Fund (RTSF), and the Government of Nova Scotia is contributing up to $89,187. Federal funding is conditional on the signing of a contribution agreement.
- The RTSF helps Canadians living in rural and remote areas get around their communities more easily. It supports the development of rural transit solutions, including new transit service models that could be replicated or scaled up.
- The RTSF's Capital Projects stream helps cover capital costs like the purchase of vehicles or digital platforms, as well as support for the purchase of zero-emission vehicles. Eligible applicants were able to seek contributions of up to $3 million to help cover the capital costs of a new or expanded transit solution (e.g., purchase of vehicles or digital platforms), and up to $5 million to support zero-emission transit solutions (e.g., for the purchase of a zero-emission vehicle(s)). This stream closed on February 28, 2024.
- The RTSF's Planning and Design Projects continuous intake remains open. Through this stream, eligible applicants can receive a grant up to $50,000 in support of a communities' projects to plan and design a new or expanded transit solution for their communities. Some examples of eligible Planning and Design Projects activities are assessment of routes and modes of travel, feasibility studies, public and stakeholder engagement and surveys.
- A minimum of 10% of RTSF's funding is allocated to projects that benefit Indigenous populations and communities.
- One in five Canadians live in rural communities. Rural communities in Canada account for nearly 30% of the nation's gross domestic product.
- The RTSF complements Canada's strengthened climate plan: A Healthy Environment and a Healthy Economy. Through the plan the federal government has committed to providing federal funding for public transit in support of making clean and affordable transportation available in every community.
- Since 2015, the federal government has committed over $30 billion for public transit and active transportation projects. These historic investments have resulted in close to 2000 projects across the country.
- The funding announced today builds on the federal government's work through the Atlantic Growth Strategy to create well-paying jobs and strengthen local economies.
Associated Links
Rural Transit Solutions Fund
https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/rural-trans-rural/index-eng.html
Strengthened Climate Plan
https://www.canada.ca/en/services/environment/weather/climatechange/climate-plan/climate-plan-overview.html
Federal infrastructure investments in Nova Scotia
https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/plan/prog-proj-ns-eng.html
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SOURCE Department of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities
Contacts: For more information (media only), please contact: Micaal Ahmed, Communications Manager, Office of the Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, 343-598-3920, [email protected]; Media Relations: Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada, 613-960-9251, Toll free: 1-877-250-7154, Email: [email protected]; Blaise Theriault, Communications Advisor, Nova Scotia Department of Public Works, 902-476-5092, [email protected]; Jessie Greenough, Executive Director, MusGo Rider Cooperative Ltd., MusGo Rider Valley-Sheet Harbour Cooperative Ltd., [email protected]
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