Canada’s three largest public transit agencies are joining forces to reinforce the importance of the Canada Public Transit Fund (CPTF) as a critical tool for stronger, more predictable transit investment and for keeping major projects moving in the country’s biggest metropolitan regions.

The Société de transport de Montréal, the Toronto Transit Commission, and TransLink have filed a joint pre-budget submission with three clear asks: restore the CPTF, accelerate shovel-ready projects, and make long-term transit funding predictable.

Together, the three transit agencies move millions of people every day in the Montreal, Toronto, and Metro Vancouver regions. Their transit systems are a powerful lever to reduce the cost of living, improve productivity, and support housing construction. But without adequate and predictable federal investment, the agencies said major projects risk delays, rising costs, and slower progress for communities across the country.

Urging to Boost the CPTF

CEOs and board chairs from the three agencies are in Ottawa to meet with ministers and elected officials to advocate for the federal transit investment needed to build infrastructure and maintain the systems Canadians rely on.

Together, the three agencies face more than $50 billion in unfunded capital needs over the next 10 years. Their joint pre-budget submission asks the federal government to strengthen the CPTF and ensure it can meet the scale of the needs facing Canada’s largest transit systems.

The agencies’ pre-budget submission recommends that the federal government:

• Restore $30 billion in funding over 10 years for the CPTF: The CPTF is an important and long-awaited program that can help build Canada up by supporting major transit expansion, housing growth, affordability, and economic productivity. However, Budget 2025 reduced the fund by $5 billion, or 17%, creating significant uncertainty for transit agencies planning major capital projects. STM, TTC, and TransLink are asking that the reduction be reversed and the funds be fully restored.
• Accelerate and simplify the approval of CPTF funding for shovel-ready projects: Major public transit projects are ready to move forward, but complex approval processes risk slowing delivery, increasing costs, and delaying customer benefits. The agencies want the federal government to modernize the funding framework and move faster on projects where procurement and construction are ready to begin.
• Make the fund permanent, predictable, and protected from inflation: The agencies are also calling for the fund to be indexed to inflation and construction costs, and for the federal government to maintain the $3 billion annual commitment beyond 2036. Long-term certainty is essential for agencies planning major infrastructure, fleet, and state-of-good-repair investments.

Agency officials said that when Canada’s three largest transit agencies are all raising the same priority, the message is clear: the CPTF is a critical national program that needs to be restored, strengthened, and made predictable for the long term. And in doing so, it would help keep “major projects moving, support housing growth, improve affordability, and strengthen economic productivity across the country.”