After 11 years of bringing you local reporting, the team behind the Vancouver Observer has moved on to Canada's National Observer. You can follow Vancouver culture reporting over there from now on. Thank you for all your support over the years!

Trudeau and Clark announce big transit dollars after epic SkyTrain entrance

Roughly $370 million of the lump sum of cash will go to Metro Vancouver specifically. 

Justin Trudeau, Christy Clark, TransLink, SkyTrain, Burnaby
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and B.C. Premier Christy Clark make a dramatic entrance to a public transit funding announcement in Burnaby, B.C. on Thurs. June 16, 2016. Photo by Elizabeth McSheffrey.

British Columbia will be the first province to officially receive highly-coveted federal infrastructure dollars to spend on public transit initiatives of its choosing, after a $460 million funding announcement in Burnaby, B.C. on Thursday morning.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and B.C. Premier Christy Clark made a dramatic entrance on the SkyTrain at its local operation centre, where a host of mayors, members of Parliament, and MLAs were gathered to hear the good news. The federal government's investment — combined with funding from the province and municipalities — brings B.C.'s pot of public transit money to $934 million in total.

"For too many years, the federal government has been a less than active partner, under-investing in public transit," Trudeau told politicians, journalists, and dozens of B.C. TransLink staff.

"This investment in public transit will help the people of British Columbia get home to their loved ones faster. It will also help to grow the middle class by improving business flows in municipalities while reducing environmental damage."

To learn more about what transit upgrades will be coming to Metro Vancouver, read the full story on National Observer.

More in News

Views from a refugee camp: Who gets into heaven?

I have just returned to Vancouver Island from Greek refugee camps where I met a Yazidi man named Jason who told me about his escape from ISIS in Iraq.   His story begins on a desert road where a...

Vancouver's bicycle sharing grows as 15 new stations installed

Mobi bicycle by Shaw Go in Vancouver. Photo by Christopher Porter from Flickr Creative Commons

International Women's Day Concert celebrates female musicians who turned tragedy into triumph

Every March 8, on International Women's Day, we hear about the achievements of brilliant, talented women around the world. But how often do we learn about the physical and mental disabilities or...
Speak up about this article on Facebook or Twitter. Do this by liking Vancouver Observer on Facebook or following us @Vanobserver on Twitter. We'd love to hear from you.