Provinces ducking transit responsibilities, argues Liberal MP

Public transit agencies and advocates gathering to lobby for federal funding heard Parliament will not be left holding the bag for what the governing Liberals see as a provincial duty. 

Providers are struggling to fill funding gaps so deep they risk cratering service. So far, higher levels of government aren't responding to their pleas for operating cash. 

"We have worked together hand-in-hand with all levels of government and we're willing to continue to do that," Chris Bittle, parliamentary secretary to the minister for housing, infrastructure, and communities, told the assembled group on Wednesday in Ottawa. 

"At the same time, we do have a lot of provincial partners who are shirking their responsibilities under public transit."

There are funding problems across the country.

Metro Vancouver's Translink has warned it could slash half of its service to fill a $600-million structural deficit. Montreal's Réseau express métropolitain, the Toronto Transit Commission and Ottawa's OC Transpo are facing shortfalls of $561 million, $354 million, and $120 million respectively. 

"We find ourselves trapped in a vicious cycle," said Marco D'Angelo, president of the Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA), at the group's annual policy forum. 

"Funding levels and those reductions lead to less frequent service. It discourages ridership and creates the worsening financial shortfalls that are already at risk of drowning Canada's transit agencies."

Municipalities that need to focus on the dual crises of the housing shortage and rising cost of living need outside help, CUTA's members argue. 

WATCH | How to avoid a public transit 'death spiral': 

Canada's largest cities have been hit particularly hard by shifting commuting patterns, with the average of ridership levels about 85 per cent of what they were in 2019. 

While higher levels of government momentarily staunched the bleeding with emergency funding, the now-evaporated Safe Restart Agreement seems to have only kicked the can down the road. 

The federal government has pledged an unprecedented $30 billion through its Canada Public Transit Fund — which agencies wholeheartedly welcome, while questioning a post-election rollout. 

However, it favours the sort of capital projects that provide photogenic ribbon-cutting events and not money for day-to-day operations.