The City of Sarnia is getting some federal dollars to help with the transition to low-carbon transit.
The Government of Canada is contributing $150,493 to this project through the Zero Emission Transit Fund (ZETF). The City of Sarnia is contributing $37,623.
The combined investment of $188,116 for the development of a plan to transition to a fleet of zero emission public transit buses in Sarnia, is being undertaken by the Canadian Urban Transit Research and Innovation Consortium (CUTRIC).
In a news release, Mayor Mike Bradley said the collaboration with CUTRIC builds on targets identified in Sarnia's Climate Change Action Plan and will focus on examining the economic, technological, and environmental benefits of fleet electrification, while also identifying any risks and key barriers.
"As we work to meet the targets identified in our Climate Change Action Plan, we want to make sure crucial green initiatives advance in a way that is well thought out and benefits both taxpayers and the environment in a sustainable way," said Bradley. "The development of an implementation strategy will be a tremendous step towards that, and one we couldn't take without this support from our partners at the Government of Canada and CUTRIC."
On Friday, the city will hold a ribbon cutting at the new Clearwater Transit Terminal with service set to begin on Monday.
The nearly $3 million project was originally planned to be completed by the end of 2023