Originally published in the Winnipeg Free Press on March 23, 2018.
By Joseph Kornelsen
Transit riders and advocates from across the province watched on March 12 as the provincial budget was released and funding for municipal transit was ignored.
Last year, the provincial government shocked transit riders with a sudden unilateral end to its 50-50 funding arrangement with municipalities. In addition to this announcement, the province froze transit funding at 2016 levels. Following the freeze, the city introduced a nine per cent fare hike and attempted to cut service from 22 routes. Service cuts were later abandoned after Winnipeggers came together to demand no cuts to transit.
Given the importance public transit plays in municipalities across Manitoba, freezing funding for service without keeping up with inflation was a bad decision.
This year, there is little excuse for the province not to increase funding for transit and continue to match municipalities’ contributions. The province just signed on to the Pan Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change, which triggered $67 million in federal funds plus another $100 million in carbon-tax revenue.
Some of this money should be used to make lower-carbon lifestyles not just possible, but convenient for Manitobans. Well-funded, frequent transit service is a simple way to do this. In Germany, cities are experimenting with free transit service to reduce their carbon emissions. Closer to home, the governments of Alberta and British Columbia are both committing over $1 billion to urban transit networks.
There are several ways that moving people on transit reduces carbon emissions. Most obviously, moving more people in a single vehicle takes less energy. But there are other ways that transit reduces emissions. By using traffic lanes more efficiently, transit reduces idling vehicles in traffic jams. In the longer term, higher transit use allows cities to be built in a more compact and walkable form, meaning more trips can be made on foot rather than in any vehicle at all.
But carbon reductions are just one benefit of a public-transit funding policy. Transit is a sensible investment for a party that bills itself as one of fiscal responsibility. The following points explain why:
- It moves more people more efficiently than personal vehicles. One bus carries as many seated people as 40 cars, putting less wear and tear on infrastructure.
- It improves economic productivity by connecting individuals who lack access to other modes of transportation to a wider array of job opportunities.
- It combines with walking to make for a healthier commute, promoting better health among Manitobans and potentially reducing stress on the health-care system.
- It reduces isolation for those who lack access to other modes of transportation.
With all these financial and social benefits, it’s clear that increasing funding for public transit in Manitoba is good provincial policy.
The government of Manitoba has long provided funding for municipal transit agencies. Operating funding goes toward the day-to-day costs of the transit network, such as bus maintenance, drivers and fuel — it’s the stuff that keeps the service running. Operating funding is an efficient way to invest in public transit because transit is, at its core, a service.
Provincial funding for transit is common across Canada. Last year, the Alberta government committed capital funds of $1.5 billion for the Green Line LRT project in Calgary. This money will be contributed over the next eight years and amounts to $187 million per year. This year, the B.C. government promised to allocate $1.18 billion over four years to transit projects in the province.
While other jurisdictions are putting billions of dollars into transit projects, the government of Manitoba can’t even commit an additional $20-million operating grant to the City of Winnipeg to restore matching funding.
Public transit is growing in popularity around the world and in North America. As the world grapples with the challenge of climate change, transit is increasingly being seen as an important part of any carbon reduction plan. The government of Manitoba needs to get on board with that reality.
There is a strong desire for better transit in Manitoba and in Winnipeg. Winnipeggers came out in droves last year to protest cuts to service and a nine per cent fare increase. We saw the harm that provincial cuts and city underfunding were doing to our transit network and we demanded better.
The city listened to Winnipeggers and chose not to cut service. The province must look at this clear demand and its responsibility to reduce carbon emissions and respond by restoring matching operating funding.