Local Members of Provincial Parliament Excited to Announce Transit Funding for Bruce, Dufferin, and Grey Counties
June 6, 2025
June 6, 2025 – For Immediate Release
GREY – The Members of Provincial Parliament representing Bruce, Dufferin, and Grey counties are excited to share that the three counties will be receiving a $9.495-million investment from the Province of Ontario through the Ontario Transit Investment Fund for an integrated regional transportation service. The Hon. Sylvia Jones (MPP for Dufferin—Caledon and Ontario’s Deputy Premier and Minister of Health), Brian Saunderson (MPP for Simcoe-Grey), the Hon. Lisa Thompson (MPP for Huron—Bruce and Ontario’s Minister of Rural Affairs) and Paul Vickers (MPP for Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound) made the announcement on Friday.
OTIF helps municipalities, Indigenous communities and not-for-profit organizations start up or expand transit services in unserved or underserved parts of the province, particularly in rural communities. The budget for OTIF is $5 million a year starting in 2025-26. Successful applicants receive funding of up to 50 per cent of project costs for up to five years for projects that encourage integrated, coordinated and sustainable transit services.
This local project, led by the County of Grey, will be funded over the course of the next five years. This year, funding will continue Route 2 of the Grey Transit Route between Orangeville and Dundalk, while supporting necessary studies to help build an integrated local transportation system between the project partners. Funding in subsequent years will help support the capital and startup costs associated with this project. Project partners include the counties of Bruce, Dufferin, and Grey, as well as Saugeen Mobility and Regional Transit (SMART). Funding will be allocated to the project partners as follows: $145,000 in 2025-26; $2,500,000 in each of 2026-27, 2027-28, and 2028-29; and, $1,850,000 in 2029-30.
“Under the leadership of Premier Ford, our government is ensuring all Ontarians, including those in rural communities, have access to reliable transportation to get them where they need to go, when they need to get there,” said Prabmeet Sarkaria, Minister of Transportation. “As part of our plan to protect Ontario, we’re investing in local transit services that connect people with good-paying jobs, housing and other opportunities.”
“Whether it’s small businesses attracting customers and employees, students getting to school, or families visiting loved ones, our government’s investment in regional transit is helping rural communities remain vibrant and healthy places to live, work and do business,” said Thompson, Ontario’s Minister of Rural Affairs.
“Our government is investing to ensure communities in Dufferin County and beyond have more options when it comes to safe, reliable transit,” said Minister Jones. “This funding will connect people to jobs, services, and more, supporting a stronger, more accessible Ontario.”
“From the time I started serving as MPP for Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, I have heard just how important local transportation is,” said Vickers, the first term MPP for Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound. “I am very grateful to the government for making this $9.495-million investment in a coordinated transportation solution to connect residents to their communities and new opportunities.”
“This investment is great news for communities across Grey, Bruce, and Dufferin
Counties,” said Saunderson. “By unifying our existing transit services into a single regional network, we’re helping people get where they need to go more easily—whether it’s to work, school, medical appointments or community events.”
More details regarding this project will be released by the project partners as they become available.
QUICK FACTS
- OTIF funding will expand access to transit services for almost 1.5 million people.
- Connecting communities underserved by passenger transportation services is one of the actions in the province’s regional transportation plans for southwestern Ontario and eastern Ontario.
ADDITIONALRESOURCES
Ontario Investing in Transportation for Rural Communities | Ontario Newsroom
Planning transportation for Southwestern Ontario