THUNDER BAY — Thunder Bay–Rainy River MP Marcus Powlowski believes a massive investment in public transit infrastructure planned by the federal government is positive news for the city's Alstom rail car plant.
Prime Minister Trudeau announced Wednesday that the government will commit nearly $15 billion for public transit over the next eight years.
The funding, he said, will support the expansion of large urban transit systems while also helping to cut air pollution.
Trudeau said the government is making "a permanent and stable federal commitment to funding public transit and facilitate partnerships between all orders of government, Indigenous communities, transit agencies and other stakeholders."
Powlowski thinks the announcement breaks what he referred to as a "logjam" in Toronto about the funding of various transit proposals for that city.
He said he understands the Ontario government wants to put money into costly line expansions, leaving the acquisition of rolling stock to the municipality.
"The street cars, the subway cars, as I see it, were kind of a bargaining chip in this bigger battle over funding of the line expansion. So we were were waiting for this announcement because it infuses cash into mass transit."
Powlowski expects the province will now agree to put money into new street cars, saying he hopes another announcement is coming soon.
However, the MP declined to be more specific when a reporter asked if those announcements would relate specifically to new orders for the Alstom plant.
"Ah, you'll have to wait and see...I think this opens the door for those contracts....I think and hope this is all going to move pretty quickly and we'll have other announcements coming shortly."
Powlowski added that "it's exceedingly encouraging news" for the workers at the local plant, which Unifor officials have repeatedly warned is in danger of closure unless it gets more work.
Toronto Mayor John Tory is already predicting the federal announcement will have "a tremendous impact" on the city's transportation system, but said in a statement that he is still waiting for details.
