Staff Report #4
June 29, 2026
To All Commissioners
Re: Federal Advocacy Update
Recommendation
The report be RECEIVED for information.
Background
London Transit is a member of the Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA) and Administration holds seats on the Board of Directors as well as a number of national committees. Over the past months, advocacy efforts have focused on two primary issues; safety for transit workers, and the Canadian Permanent Transit Fund.
Safety for Transit Workers
On June 15, 2026, Bill C-14 (Bail and Sentencing Reform Act) received Royal Assent, providing for strengthening of the Criminal Code. Specific to public transit, Section 260 of the Criminal Code has been amended to extend protections to all transit workers. CUTA had been advocating to amend the Criminal Code, which previously extended protections to “transit Operators” only. This amendment recognizes that many other public transit service roles also face safety risks while serving the public, and as such, require the same protections as a bus Operators.
London Transit buses currently have internal bus cards installed which reference the original Criminal Code protections. Over the coming months, Administration will work with CUTA on an updated card based on the new protections that will replace the existing cards.
Canadian Permanent Transit Fund
CUTA has continued to work on advocacy relating to the Canadian Public Transit Fund (CPTF) and associated amendments that were included as part of the federal budget. In March, the CUTA Board of Directors resolved the following with respect to the CPTF:
- Affirms the importance of stable, predictable, and long-term federal investment in public transit infrastructure
- Calls upon the Government of Canada to restore the approximate $5 billion removed from the Canada Public Transit Fund, returning the full $30 billion, ten-year commitment to a dedicated federal transit funding envelope that cannot be diluted, redirected, or absorbed into broader infrastructure funds
- Urges the Government of Canada to establish and publicly commit to a concrete implementation timeline for federal transit funding without further delay — recognizing that every week of inaction translates into deferred projects, escalating costs, disrupted procurement pipelines, and harm to transit agencies, municipalities, and the Canadian manufacturing and supply chain sectors that depend on funding certainty to operate
- Calls upon the Government of Canada to immediately initiate bilateral negotiations with provincial and territorial governments on Canada Public Transit Fund funding agreements, recognizing that the conclusion of such agreements is a critical precondition to funds flowing to transit agencies and municipalities
- Supports a national advocacy campaign to highlight the importance of federal transit funding certainty and the operational impacts of funding instability on transit systems across Canada
These calls to action were shared with the Federal Government and have been subject of a communication campaign.
On June 2, 2026, the Federal Government announced the establishment of a new Strong Transit Fund. This new Fund essentially replaces the previous portion of the CPTF which was referred to as the Metro Region Agreements Stream which provides $16.7 billion over ten years. This Fund introduces a streamlined approach that aims to enable more direct negotiations and faster signed agreements for each province and territory to distribute to major cities, as opposed to a multi-signatory agreement. The following are key aspects of the streamlined program:
- Memorandums of Understanding: The federal government will work with provinces and territories to develop Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs), combined with direct funding agreements with project proponents. The MOUs will establish terms to identify projects and set out key elements such as timelines, cost-sharing arrangements, and federal expectations.
- Baseline Funding Stream Allocation Model: The federal government will establish notional funding allocations for each province and territory, determined by 70% ridership and 30% population model of the Baseline stream.
- Provincial Identification of Projects: Provinces and territories will identify priority transit projects and present them for federal consideration and approval.
- Buy Canadian Policy: Projects proposed under this Fund will be required to prioritize Canadian suppliers, content, and materials in accordance with HICC’s Buy Canadian Policy.
- The Baseline Stream and the Targeted Stream are preserved, and increased from $5 billion to $5.5 billion.
Administration will continue with work with CUTA to determine the details of the STF and how this fund may be accessed for projects in London, as well as the specifics of the Buy Canadian Policy and how they may impact projects that have been identified as part of the Baseline Funding Stream.
Recommended by:
Mike Gregor, Director of Finance
Concurred in by:
Kelly S. Paleczny, General Manager