Stock photo of CK Transit bus going down Keil Drive. January 15, 2018. Photo by Greg Higgins)Stock photo of CK Transit bus going down Keil Drive. January 15, 2018. Photo by Greg Higgins)
Chatham

CK getting over $950K in provincial funding for transit

The transit system in Chatham-Kent will get a boost from the province to offset costs of operating extended hours of service and for Inter-Urban routes.

The municipality will receive $965,599 from Provincial Gas Tax Funding in 2019. According to Anne-Marie Millson, manager of the Engineering & Transportation Division, the funding is up from last year's $952,316 total.

Millson said it is a big help considering the transit here makes $623,205 in fare revenue while costing just over $2.5 million to operate, according to 2017 numbers.

"We appreciate the contribution but would always welcome additional funding," Millson said. "When you take away the provincial funding and fare revenue, the remaining amount is what is funded by tax dollars."

That remaining amount comes to just over $1 million and is budgeted for by council, according to Millson. She added outside of the Provincial Gas Tax, the municipality doesn't receive any additional funding for operational expenses.

"We do occasionally apply for specific funding but it aligns to projects," Millson said. "As an example, converting transit shelters from electric to solar. We applied for Public Transit Infrastructure funding in 2016 and was approved. This funding provided 40 per cent to approved projects."

Chatham-Kent was one of 107 municipalities across the province to receive the funding, which was announced last week by Minister of Transportation Jeff Yurek.

"We are investing in public transit to make it a more convenient travel option and to attract more riders," said Yurek. "More public transit will cut through gridlock and get people moving."

The province is giving a total of $364 million to municipalities that provide public transit service to 144 communities across Ontario.

According to a release from the province, funding is determined by the number of litres of gasoline sold in Ontario. The program provides municipalities with two cents per litre of provincial gas tax revenues. It added municipalities receiving funding must use the money on public transit capital or operating expenditures.

The formula for how much each municipality receives is based on 70 per cent ridership and 30 per cent population. While a city like Thunder Bay has a similar population to Chatham-Kent, it is denser and its transit system gets a lot more riders, so it is receiving just over $2 million in funding.

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