The Government of Quebec and the Government of Canada invest more to $7,7 million to improve public transit in Saguenay

SAGUENAY, QC, March 18, 2024 /CNW/ - The Deputy Premier and Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Geneviève Guilbault, the federal Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, the Honourable Sean Fraser, and the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Minister responsible for the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean Region, Andrée Laforest, announce financial contribution of $7,704,060 for the Société de transport du Saguenay (STS). This amount will be used to extend the ecomobility corridor and make public transit more accessible, safer and more comfortable.

For the occasion, the Minister was accompanied by the MNA for Dubuc, François Tremblay, the MNA for Jonquière, Yannick Gagnon, Saguenay Mayor, Julie Dufour and STS President, Claude Bouchard.

The funded project will benefit the community by providing new, more user-friendly facilities. More specifically, the work involves extending the ecomobility corridor along Jacques-Cartier and Saint-Vallier streets, by installing:

• a reserved lane
• a service building and various docks, including a waiting area;
• infrastructure to improve accessibility for people with reduced mobility, notably to go to the Centre intégré universitaire de santé et services sociaux du Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean (CIUSSS).

These projects will improve the capacity, quality and safety of the City of Saguenay's existing public transit network, while helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and thus combat climate change.

"Our government is continuing its efforts, in every region of Quebec, to improve public transit services. This work is part of our strategy to transition to a greener, more prosperous economy. By offering attractive and competitive alternatives to solo driving, we are helping to make public transit more popular, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions."

Geneviève Guilbault, Deputy Premier of Quebec and Minister of Transports and Sustainable Mobility

"By investing in our infrastructure, we are committed to significantly improving the daily lives of our citizens. The development of public transportation infrastructure in Chicoutimi will improve the network's accessibility, safety and efficiency. These improvements will ensure more convenient travel for Chicoutimi residents, contributing to a better quality of life for the entire community."

The Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities 

"Making public transit as accessible as possible to our population, and providing user-friendly facilities to attract more transit users to our city are goals that our government is seeking to achieve. We also need to provide adequate services for people with mobility limitations, and reduce their travel costs. If all these additions help reduce the number of vehicles on our roads and traffic congestion, it will be a plus for our society."

Andrée Laforest, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Minister responsible for the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean Region

"Investing in infrastructure isn't about putting money into concrete. It's about investing in the day-to-day lives of our people. This public transit project is a fine example! It will enable Saguenay residents, especially those with reduced mobility, to benefit from a modern, efficient public transit network to get where they need to go."

The Honourable Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Transport and Quebec Lieutenant

"Continuous improvement of public transit remains a priority. New arrivals and local workers need to be able to get around in a vast territory. This is both an economic and an environmental issue."

 François Tremblay, Member of National Assembly for Dubuc

"When it comes to public transit in a large area like Saguenay, accessibility is an important issue. I'm therefore delighted with this good news, which will enable STS users to enjoy a transportation network that's even more agile and adapted to the reality of our territory. Who knows, maybe it will even encourage others to try and adopt this mode of transport, which we are privileged to have in our municipality."

Yannick Gagnon, Member of National Assembly for Jonquière

"I'm extremely proud of the Quebec government's commitment to invest in improving public transit services in Saguenay. These investments demonstrate our collective determination to promote sustainable mobility and meet the growing travel needs of our community. It's a significant step towards a more accessible, efficient and environmentally-friendly future for all Saguenay citizens."

Julie Dufour, Mayor of Saguenay

"The Ecomobility Corridor is the STS network's structuring axis that has enabled us to improve our service between downtown and the Talbot Zone, resulting in increased ridership in this sector. We're delighted to announce that it will be extended with the construction of new facilities at Jacques-Cartier and Saint-Vallier, because in addition to ensuring the safety of this sector, they will offer our customers greater comfort, which will undoubtedly contribute to improving their transit experience, an objective we have set ourselves as an organization in our new strategic plan."

Claude Bouchard, President of the STS

• The amounts break down as follows :
  • The Government of Quebec is investing $4,298,922 through the Programme d'aide gouvernementale aux infrastructures de transport collectif (PAGITC);
  • The Government of Canada is investing $3,405,138 through the same program. These funds come from the Public Transit component of the Integrated Bilateral Agreement Canada ? Quebec for the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program.
  • The Société de transport du Saguenay is contributing $893,785.
• Today's funding brings the Quebec government's support for the STS to approximately $70 million since 2019. This amount includes:
  • $3.8 million under the Programme d'aide gouvernementale au transport collectif des personnes (PAGTCP) for various projects;
  • over $4 million from the Public Transit Development Program (PADTC), which supports various organizations in their efforts to maintain, develop, optimize and promote public transit services.
  • Up to 26 electric buses from the contract to acquire up to 1229 electric city buses from Novabus announced on May 8, 2023;
  • $4.3 million from the one-time $400-million budget envelope allocated to public transit organizations to support the recovery of their services hard hit by health measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The Public Transit Infrastructure Stream of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program supports the building, expansion, and upgrading of urban and rural transit networks.
• Including today's announcement, 26 infrastructure projects or project bundles under the Public Transit Infrastructure Stream have been announced in Quebec, with a total federal contribution of more than $2.8 billion and a total provincial contribution of more than $5.4 billion.
• The federal government is investing $14.9 billion over the next eight years in reliable, fast, affordable, and clean public transit. This funding includes $3 billion per year in permanent, predictable federal public transit funding which will be available to support transit solutions beginning in 2026-27.

Investing in Canada: Canada's Long-Term Infrastructure Plan

Federal infrastructure investments in Quebec

Programme d'aide gouvernementale au transport collectif des personnes (PAGTCP) [FR]

Programme d'aide au développement du transport collectif (PADTC) [FR]

Programme d'aide gouvernementale aux infrastructures de transport collectif (PAGITC) [FR]

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