Federal government announces $72 million in transit funding for Waterloo Region

February 3, 2025 — By working closely with its partners across Canada, the federal government is ensuring that more Canadians will be able to live near public transit, connecting them to jobs, services, and their communities.

Today, the Honourable Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, the Honourable Bardish Chagger, Member of Parliament for Waterloo, and Karen Redman, Regional Chair, Region of Waterloo, announced a federal investment of $72 million in transit funding for the Region of Waterloo, providing predictable and long-term funding.

Through the new Canada Public Transit Fund’s Baseline Funding stream, the Region of Waterloo’s transit authority, Grand River Transit, will receive an annual funding allocation amounting to $72 million over 10 years. Funding will upgrade, replace, or modernize the Region’s public transit infrastructure, and maintain it in a state of good repair.

This investment, beginning in 2026 until 2036, will help increase the housing supply and affordability as part of complete, transit-oriented communities, while helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate the impacts of climate change.