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Sault Ste. Marie — Today, Ross Romano, MPP for Sault Ste. Marie, announced that the
province is keeping transit riders and operators safe by reducing the transmission of
COVID-19. The province is providing Sault Ste. Marie with $44,803 to assist the city with
additional cleaning costs of municipal transit systems due to COVID-19. This funding is
part of $15 million in provincial support for 110 municipalities across the province towards
enhanced transit cleaning as the province gradually reopens.
Enhanced municipal transit cleaning funding builds upon the recommendations in the
recently released safety guidance for public transit agencies and supports safe and
reliable transit public transit that will get people moving, reduce congestion, and drive
economic growth.
“Health and safety is an absolute priority for our government. I am pleased to share that
Sault Ste. Marie has received $44,803 to assist our city with cleaning operations
associated with COVID-19 in our local transit system,” said Ross Romano. “Public transit
is vital to local economies by ensuring that people can safely get to the places they need
to. I would like to thank the city for working to ensure that people who utilize public transit
will be able to continue to do so safely in the future.”
“I want to recognize the Ontario Government for supporting public transportation in Sault
Ste. Marie.” said Christian Provenzano, Mayor Sault St. Marie. “As a result of COVID-19,
Transit Services has experienced decreased revenues – in addition to additional cleaning
costs – as we prioritized the health of community members. This support from the
province is a very helpful measure as we move towards increased ridership.”
“We recognize that municipal transit agencies across the province are facing significant
financial challenges as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak,” said Caroline Mulroney,
Minister of Transportation. “That is why we are providing funding for enhanced cleaning
on public transit systems and continuing to work closely with our municipal partners to
support safety on public transit.”
Today’s announcement is part of Ontario’s Action Plan: Responding to COVID-19. This
$17 billion immediate response provides urgent support to help Ontario businesses,
workers, seniors, families, students, Indigenous peoples and communities, and
vulnerable populations during COVID-19.
The action plan includes $3.3 billion of additional resources for health care, $3.7 billion to
support people and jobs, and it makes available $10 billion for people and businesses
through interest and penalty relief measures to improve their cash flow, protecting jobs
and household budgets.
Additional Resources
? Learn more about A Framework for Reopening our Province.
? Read the guidance for transit agencies and passengers
? Visit Ontario’s website to learn more about how the province continues to protect
Ontarians from COVID-19.