Premier Kathleen Wynne says Ontarians should all climb aboard her plan to boost transit.
"The days of underspending on infrastructure are over," Wynne told reporters after stepping off the Union-Pearson Express train that will go into service on June 6.
The premier took the media on a 23-minute ride from Union Station to Pearson Inter?national Airport to highlight her government’s commitment to such investments in Thursday’s budget. A one-way fare on the train will cost $27.50 or $19.00 with the multi-transit system PRESTO card.
She said the UP Express is a good example of Ottawa and Queen’s Park co-operating for the Greater Toronto Area and decried Tuesday’s federal budget as a "missed opportunity" because transit spending won't kick in for years.
Her comments Wednesday came on the eve of Finance Minister Charles Sousa releasing his 2015-16 spending plan at Queen’s Park.
Ontario ran a $10.9-billion budget deficit in 2014-15, but the Liberals insist the books will be balanced in 2017-18.
Wynne noted the sale of 60% of the Hydro One transmission utility will net $4 billion, all of which will go toward transportation infrastructure.
In all, $31.5 billion will be spent on transit and roads over the next decade, including improved GO Transit lines.
At the same time, Sousa’s budget will formalize the sale of beer in 450 of Ontario’s 1,500 supermarkets and eventually bring an additional $100 million annually to the treasury.
