The city of Barrie has plans to improve public transit with the help of $43 million from the provincial and federal governments.

Mayor Jeff Lehman says the city will add to that number with $15 million of its own funds.

“That total, which is 57 is what we would spend over the next 10 years on capital.” The mayor says it’s a significant influx in funding but works out to about six-million-dollars per year over 10 years.

On April 2, Barrie and 48 other municipalities outside of the GTHA can apply to have its top transit lists considered under the ‘Investing in Canada Infrastructure plan.’

Lehman says even though they must apply, the city will receive the money. “But our list of projects has to be approved by both Queen’s Park and Ottawa,” he explains. “So we will send that list once council makes some decisions.”

Key projects for the city include increasing its fleet to keep up with the growing demand, and to move forward in discussions about the proposed Allandale hub project to centralize transit.

“Council has not yet decided that this will happen, but frankly, this funding opportunity makes a project that might not otherwise have been possible, now possible,” Lehman says.