Norfolk collects $244G, Tillsonburg $102,400
The Ford government has announced its 2022 gas tax allocation for qualifying municipalities.
The $375.6 million divided among 107 municipalities is earmarked for improvements and upgrades to transit systems outside major urban centres.
In the local area, Brantford leads the way with an allocation of $1.5 million. Brant County itself will collect $280,774 while Norfolk County is in line for $244,400. The Town of Tillsonburg will receive $102,400.
“Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen how critical public transit is for front-line workers and for Ontarians who depend on these services to get to medical appointments, the grocery store and other important locations,” Caroline Mulroney, Minister of Transportation , said in a news release. “Gas tax funding remains a vital source of long-term transit funding that municipalities can rely on to help operate and expand existing public transit services, ensuring people have access to safe and reliable transportation when they need it.”
The number of liters of gasoline sold in the province during the previous year determines the amount of cash allocated for local transit. Municipalities that support public transit receive two cents per liter of the provincial tax collected.
This year’s allocation was different because gas sales in Ontario were down in 2021 due to pandemic lockdowns and restrictions. The province has responded with one-time funding of $120.4 million to ensure local transit systems have the revenue they need to offer proper service. Kelly Paleczny, chair of the Ontario Public Transit Association, lauded Queen’s Park for taking the needs of local systems into account.
“The government’s ongoing responsiveness to public transit’s needs during the pandemic has allowed transit to keep running,” Paleczny said. “Whether transit systems have suffered lower revenue due to lower gas sales or fewer riders, Premier Ford and Minister Mulroney have, since the pandemic’s early days, helped keep service levels high for the more than 1 million Ontarians who rely on transit every day. The gas tax announcement is the latest evidence of their support and we thank them.”