The federal and provincial governments are collectively providing almost $42.9 million towards a new 10,500-square-metre public transit garage and maintenance facility in the City of Peterborough.
Peterborough MP Emma Harrison, Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith, and Peterborough Mayor Jeff Leal made the announcement on Thursday morning (July 10) at Peterborough city hall.
The City of Peterborough first identified the need for a new transit garage in 2012. The current transit garage at the Townsend Street Public Works yard is only capable of storing 42 buses inside. Peterborough Transit currently has a fleet of 61 conventional buses and 11 specialized buses.
“We’re incredibly grateful to both the Province of Ontario and the Government of Canada for this significant investment in Peterborough’s transit future,” said Mayor Leal in a media release. “The funding for a new transit garage is not only timely, it’s essential.”
“Our current facility is aging and no longer meets the needs of a growing city. A new, modern garage will support fleet expansion, improve maintenance capabilities, and prepare us for the future of transit, including the integration of electric and low-emission vehicles. This investment will help us deliver more reliable, efficient, and sustainable transit services for the people of Peterborough.”
In 2022, city council approved the preferred site for the new transit garage at 901 Monaghan Road and 575 Romaine Street, where the Canadian Canoe Museum used to be located.
According to the city’s 2025 budget, the property purchase was to be finalized in the first quarter of this year. Although the property purchase has not been publicly announced, a land acquisition was discussed by city council in closed session on June 23.
The costs for a new transit garage will include land acquisition, demolition of existing buildings, site servicing, site preparation and remediation work, construction of the new transit storage garage, construction of vehicle servicing and fuelling infrastructure, construction of a new transit maintenance facility, renovation of the office space to support staff and administration activities, and the completion of external works on the site to mitigate impacts to adjacent properties.
According to the city, the total cost for the new transit garage will be $58.5 million. The federal government is investing up to $23,400,000 through the Public Transit Infrastructure Stream of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program to support this project. The Government of Ontario is investing up to $19,498,050.
