TORONTO, ONTARIO – Carlos Santos, President of Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 113, released the following statement regarding today’s announcement that the federal government will provide $2.2 billion in expected infrastructure funding to Toronto and other Canadian cities. Carlos Santos is urging the federal and provincial governments to provide emergency funding to keep the cash strapped TTC moving while addressing physical distancing needs.
“With the TTC losing $20 million a week and implementing service cuts that hurt riders during this coronavirus pandemic, ATU Local 113 is calling on the federal and provincial governments to support the City of Toronto with new emergency funding to keep the TTC moving.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s announcement that the federal government will accelerate gas tax revenue payments to municipalities is a step in the right direction, but is not nearly enough to meet the dire financial needs of the City of Toronto and the TTC. The TTC has predicted that it will lose nearly $300 million by Labour Day if it does not receive funding from senior levels of government.
ATU Local 113 is calling on Toronto’s 25 Liberal Members of Parliament to advocate for public transit funding within their federal government. Toronto’s Liberal MPs must understand that many essential, low-income workers in their ridings depend on the TTC every day to get to work at hospitals, nursing homes, grocery stores and pharmacies.
The only way to restore public transit service for our essential workers is for the federal government and provincial governments to step up and provide emergency financial relief. Mayors and other municipal officials have done their part, but support from other levels of government is crucial.
Toronto’s public transit workers will continue urging governments to properly fund the TTC to keep Toronto moving during the pandemic and throughout our city’s economic recovery.”