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Making way for rural transit solutions across Ontario

Department of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities
Thursday at 12:25pm AST · December 11, 2025 3 min read

OTTAWA, ON, Dec. 11, 2025 /CNW/ – Seventeen recipients across Ontario will be able to establish or enhance their transit systems, thanks to more than $3.7 million in federal investments through the Rural Transit Solutions Fund (RTSF).

These investments will enable communities across the region to modernize, expand, and improve their local transit systems, enhancing service reliability, accessibility, and overall user experience. Planned upgrades may include new vehicles, shelters, accessible stops, scheduling technology, and service enhancements. In some communities, funding will also support feasibility studies to better understand and improve current transit systems and identify opportunities to establish a new transit service.

These projects will provide residents with better access to affordable, dependable, and environmentally friendly transportation options, helping them connect to workplaces, schools, healthcare services, and local businesses.

Quotes

“Investments like these strengthen the transportation networks that people in rural and remote communities rely on every day. They’re not just about improving transit–they’re investments to build our communities strong, helping people stay connected to opportunities close to home.”

The Honourable Gregor Robertson, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada

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Quick Facts

  • The federal government is investing $3,725,285 in seventeen projects through the Rural Transit Solutions Fund (RTSF).
  • The RTSF, under the Canada Public Transit Fund (CPTF), supports initiatives that enhance access to public transit, helping residents of rural, remote, Indigenous and Northern communities conduct their day-to-day activities. By improving the availability and reliability of public transit options, the RTSF helps build stronger, more connected communities across the country.
  • The RTSF supports a range of public transit models including fixed-route transit, flex-route transit, demand-response transit, community shuttles and Mobility-as-a-Service. In addition to supporting rolling stocks, it also provides funding for fixed infrastructure that enhances access to public transit.
  • The RTSF consists of two funding streams: the Planning and Design Projects stream which supports the planning and design activities of a transit system and the Capital Projects stream which supports the purchasing of public transit assets such as vehicles and supporting infrastructure.
  • A minimum of 10% of RTSF’s funding is allocated to projects that benefit Indigenous populations and communities.
  • The CPTF will ramp up to deliver an average of $3 billion every year in stable, permanent and predictable public transit and active transportation funding to communities across the country.
  • The RTSF complements Canada’s strengthened climate plan: A Healthy Environment and a Healthy Economy. Through the plan the federal government has committed to providing funding for public transit to support making clean and affordable transportation available in every community.
  • One in five Canadians live in rural communities. Rural communities in Canada account for nearly 30% of the nation’s gross domestic product.
  • Federal funding for some projects is conditional on the signing of funding agreements.

Associated Links

Rural Transit Solutions Fund

https://housing-infrastructure.canada.ca/rural-trans-rural/index-eng.html  

Strengthened Climate Plan

https://www.canada.ca/en/services/environment/weather/climatechange/climate-plan/climate-plan-overview.html  

Housing and Infrastructure Project Map

https://housing-infrastructure.canada.ca/gmap-gcarte/index-eng.html 

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SOURCE Department of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities

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