COMOX VALLEY, BC, Feb. 15, 2024 /CNW/ - Communities in the Comox Valley Regional District (CVRD) will receive five upgraded and new transit exchanges and other system upgrades to improve transit access and safety, thanks to a combined investment of more than $8.8 million from the federal and provincial governments along with the Comox Valley Regional District.
Announced by Minister Jonathan Wilkinson, MLA Ronna-Rae Leonard, Board Chair Will Cole-Hamilton, and BC Transit CEO Erinn Pinkerton, this project will support transit services while fostering growth in the area.
Funding will construct or upgrade transit exchanges in five locations in the CVRD: south Courtenay, downtown Courtenay, Oyster River, downtown Comox, and North Island College campus. Each new and rehabilitated exchange will include concrete bus bays or curb areas that can accommodate heavy-duty buses and future on-street battery-electric bus charging. The project will also include improvements to pedestrian and road infrastructure, new bike racks, and the construction of operator facilities.
Once completed, the project will enhance the passenger experience and service operations while facilitating service increases and ridership growth. It will also support the economic and population growth of downtown Courtenay and Comox. Both communities are working to address housing shortages and transit is key to supporting higher density.
Investing in public transit infrastructure creates more inclusive communities and enhances the quality of life for users of transit services by ensuring that everyone is connected to housing, jobs, services, amenities, and their greater communities.
"In line with continuing commitment to promoting equitable communities, the federal government is investing in public transit infrastructure that provides people and families with greater access to public services, employment opportunities, and affordable housing. When we invest in more transit exchanges and improve transit priority infrastructure, like we are in the CVRD, we are demonstrating our commitment to make communities more connected."
The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources and Member of Parliament for North Vancouver, on behalf of the Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities
"Expanding transit infrastructure in the Comox Valley offers people more opportunities for jobs, housing, and amenities. Public transportation infrastructure is about more than just getting people around town, it's about connecting communities and improving the lives of people who use transit daily. Building five new transit exchanges around the Comox Valley means our transit system can continue to provide dedicated service to those who need it."
Ronna-Rae Leonard, Member of the Legislative Assembly for Courtenay-Comox, on behalf of the Honourable Rob Fleming, B.C. Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure
"BC Transit is partnering with the federal and provincial governments to deliver greater and more convenient access to transit for residents in the Comox Valley Regional Transit System by building or upgrading five transit exchanges that will support transit service expansion in the region. This investment in transit exchange infrastructure will support the region's future transit network, accommodate the future increase in transit service levels and create convenient and comfortable spaces for people to catch their bus."
Erinn Pinkerton, President and Chief Executive Officer for BC Transit
"We are happy to see investments happening in our community. By providing safe, more accessible and convenient transit opportunities within the Comox Valley we hope that residents will choose transit as an alternative method of transportation."
Will Cole-Hamilton, Comox Valley Regional District Board Chair
- The federal government is investing $3,553,946 through the Public Transit Infrastructure Stream of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program. The provincial government is investing $3,553,946 and the Comox Vallet Regional District is contributing $1,776,972. Funding from all three orders of government is secured and administered by BC Transit.
- This stream supports the building, expansion, and upgrading of urban and rural transit networks.
- Investments in public transit help Canadians get where they need to be, create new manufacturing and construction jobs, reduce pollution, and make life more affordable.
- Including today's announcement, over 55 infrastructure projects under the Public Transit Infrastructure Stream have been announced in British Columbia, with a total federal contribution of more than $2.03 billion and a total provincial contribution of nearly $3.13 billion.
- The federal government is investing $14.9 billion over the next eight years in reliable, fast, affordable, and clean public transit. This funding includes $3 billion per year in permanent, predictable federal public transit funding which will be available to support transit solutions beginning in 2026-27.
- Since 2015, the federal government has announced an unprecedented investment of over $30 billion in thousands of transit projects in communities across the country.
- Under the Investing in Canada Plan, the federal government is investing more than $180 billion over 12 years in public transit projects, green infrastructure, social infrastructure, trade and transportation routes, and Canada's rural and northern communities.
- Infrastructure Canada helps address complex challenges that Canadians face every day—ranging from the rapid growth of our cities, to climate change, to environmental threats to our water and land.
- Federal funding is conditional on fulfilling all requirements related to consultation with Indigenous groups.
Investing in Canada: Canada's Long-Term Infrastructure Plan
https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/plan/icp-publication-pic-eng.html
Public Transit Infrastructure Stream
https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/plan/pti-itc-eng.html
Federal infrastructure investments in British Columbia
https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/plan/prog-proj-bc-eng.html
Strengthened Climate Plan
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SOURCE Infrastructure Canada
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, Infrastructure Canada, 613-960-9251, Toll free: 1-877-250-7154, Email: [email protected]; Media Relations, Government Communications and Public Engagement, Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, 250-356-8241; Media Relations, BC Transit, 250-880-1303, [email protected]
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