BRIDGEWATER, NS, May 15, 2024 /CNW/ - Lunenburg County Wheels will expand their fleet by four vans after a combined investment of $432,000 from the federal and provincial governments.

This was announced today by Minister Becky Druhan and Jerome Tanner, president of the Lunenburg County Wheels board. Expanding the fleet will allow Lunenburg County Wheels to serve more people in a larger area.

Lunenburg County Wheels is a non-profit organization that provides transportation services in rural communities in western Lunenburg County. With these four additional vehicles more residents in western Lunenburg County will have an affordable transportation option that will help them get around.

"Organizations like Lunenburg County Wheels are invaluable partners in making our communities stronger and making lives easier for residents. We are proud to support this project that will help even more people in Lunenburg County get around easily and conveniently.

The Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities

"People in communities across Nova Scotia rely on public transportation to do day-to-day tasks and to get them where they need to go. Investments like this make a big difference in our rural communities where there are often fewer transportation options. I'm pleased to support this important organization and help expand their fleet to better serve Lunenburg County."

The Honourable Becky Druhan, Nova Scotia Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development and Member of the Legislative Assembly for Lunenburg West

"The addition of these four mobility vans enables Lunenburg County Wheels to enter the last expansion of our affordable transportation system to all of western Lunenburg County. It is a feeling of accomplishment. After over a year of planning for this service we could not have accomplished it without the support of the federal and provincial governments as well as our Board, our drivers, sponsors, and the municipal governments of Lunenburg County. We hope this service will be successful and continue for years to come."

Jerome Tanner, president of the Lunenburg County Wheels board

• The federal government is investing $345,600 in this project through the Rural Transit Solutions Fund (RTSF), and the Government of Nova Scotia is contributing $86,400.
• The RTSF helps Canadians living in rural and remote areas get around their communities more easily. It supports the development of rural transit solutions, including new transit service models that could be replicated or scaled up.
• A minimum of 10% of RTSF's funding will be allocated to projects that benefit Indigenous populations and communities.
• The RTSF's – Capital Projects stream helps cover capital costs like the purchase of vehicles or digital platforms, as well as support for the purchase of zero-emission vehicles.
• Eligible applicants were able to seek contributions of up to $3 million to help cover the capital costs of a new or expanded transit solution (e.g., purchase of vehicles or digital platforms), and up to $5 million to support zero-emission transit solutions (e.g., for the purchase of a zero-emission vehicle(s)). This stream closed on February 28, 2024.
• The RTSF's – Planning and Design Projects continuous intake remains open. Through this stream, eligible applicants can receive a grant up to $50,000 in support of a communities' projects to plan and design a new or expanded transit solution for their communities. Some examples of eligible Planning and Design Projects activities are assessment of routes and modes of travel, feasibility studies, public and stakeholder engagement and surveys.
• One in five Canadians live in rural communities. Rural communities in Canada account for nearly 30% of the nation's gross domestic product.
• The RTSF complements Canada's strengthened climate plan: A Healthy Environment and a Healthy Economy. Through the plan the federal government has committed to providing permanent federal funding for public transit in support of making clean and affordable transportation available in every community.
• Since 2015, the federal government has announced an unprecedented investment of over $30 billion in thousands of transit projects in communities across the country.
• The funding announced today builds on the federal government's work through the Atlantic Growth Strategy to create well-paying middle-class jobs, strengthen local economies, and build inclusive communities.

Rural Transit Solutions Fund
https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/rural-trans-rural/index-eng.html 

Strengthened Climate Plan
https://www.canada.ca/en/services/environment/weather/climatechange/climate-plan/climate-plan-overview.html 

Federal infrastructure investments in Nova Scotia
https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/plan/prog-proj-ns-eng.html

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SOURCE Infrastructure Canada