The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence and Minister for the Atlantic Gateway, and the Member of Parliament for Central Nova, the Honourable Ramona Jennex, Minister of Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations, along with his worship, Peter Kelly, Mayor of the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM), gathered today to celebrate the official ground breaking ceremony for the new Ragged Lake Transit Centre in Ragged Lake Industrial Park. Minister MacKay was also pleased to announce the Government of Canada’s contribution of $16.6 million to the project.

“The Government of Canada, under the leadership of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, understands that public transit plays an important role in strengthening the economy and contributing to a healthier, more sustainable environment,” said Minister MacKay. “For Halifax, this means increased transit services that will create jobs and improve the daily commute for residents and their families.”

“This facility will allow for future growth to meet the ongoing transit needs of HRM.  It will also translate into more jobs and lifestyle choices for citizens, and represents another step in building a greener future for all,” said Minister Jennex.

“We are pleased to finally break ground and begin construction on a new $28 million transit operations and maintenance facility,” said Mayor Kelly. “The building of this new transit centre will provide the key ingredient necessary in allowing HRM to move forward to expand our regional Metro Transit bus service. Infrastructure development is a priority for the Municipality as it has far reaching benefits for residents in our community.”

The new Ragged Lake Transit Centre is scheduled for completion by May 2010 and will complement the existing Metro Transit facility and a smaller garage, both located in Burnside Industrial Park, Dartmouth, which have currently reached capacity with over 280 buses.

Upon completion, the new Centre will allow for the operation of an additional 150 buses, with space ultimately for another 50 transit vehicles. The new Transit Centre will also help to cut down on operational costs, which presently must be incurred by running out  of  service buses back and forth across the harbour bridges. This will cut down on commuter traffic and result in less greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

When completed, this 176,000 square foot complex on a16-acre site will feature two buildings: a 119,990 square-foot Operations Centre; and a 55,920 square foot Service Centre for bus maintenance.

Supporting public transit is a priority for the Government of Canada. Investments like this will stimulate the economy, create jobs and provide long-term community benefits. Above and beyond today’s announcement, Canada’s 2009 Economic Action Plan is accelerating and expanding the existing federal investment of $33 billion in infrastructure across Canada with almost $12 billion in new infrastructure stimulus funding over the next two years.

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Contact:

Jay Paxton

Press Secretary

Office of the Honourable Peter MacKay

Phone: 613-996-3100

Chris Day

Press Secretary

Office of Canada’s Transport and Infrastructure Minister

Phone: 613-991-0700       

Mayor Peter Kelly

Halifax Regional Municipality

Phone: 902 490 4010   

                                     

Lori Patterson

Metro Transit, Transportation & Public Works

Halifax Regional Municipality

Phone: 902 490 6609                                    

Cell: 902 476 5975