WEB EXTRA: Province has extra money for transit upgrades

 Next year, Winnipeg Transit will have an extra $10.5 million to build more heated shelters, diamond bus lanes and priority signal lights. 

The province has made the money available to Winnipeg, along with another $7.5 million to community transit operations around Manitoba, thanks to a one-time federal government payment to the province. 

Provincial Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs Steve Ashton said that from now on, the province will honor its commitment to fund 50 per cent of operational costs of all municipal transit operations, a promise that has not been met since 1993. 

"We are committed to fund transit for the long term," Ashton said. Although the province's transit funding has increased by 40 per cent since 1999, Ashton said the province has fallen short of the 50 per cent mark. 

In a bus ride through downtown yesterday with the media, Ashton and Mayor Sam Katz said the city's transit system had to grow along with the city. 

All the same, Katz said he had to be realistic. The new money is not going to trigger a new rapid transit project. "I would love it if Winnipeg could build an LRT (light rapid transit) system, but I think in the meantime we have to build on what we have," he said. "For instance, in a city like Winnipeg, you would think there would be a lot of heated bus shelters, but there aren't." 

Katz said some of the new money will be used to help alleviate some of financial challenges in the Handi-Transit program. He said Increased usage is making it more difficult to adequately maintain the system. 

Last year, Winnipeg Transit received an operating grant of $22.9 million from the province and an additional $3.8 million in capital support. Some of that capital money allowed the city to purchase new hybrid buses.