November 23, 2011
New Grants Support Regional Handi-transit Services in Rural Manitoba Communities
– – –Funding Supports Accessible, Affordable Services for Rural Families: Selinger
The province is launching a new grant to support the delivery of regional handi-transit services in communities across Manitoba, Premier Greg Selinger announced today.
“Affordable and accessible handi-transit services are important to families living in rural communities and we strongly support municipalities that deliver these services, enabling seniors and people with mobility issues to live more independently and participate fully in community life,” said Selinger. “This new funding provides additional support to communities that deliver handi-transit services regionally, providing more efficient services to Manitobans.”
The province currently provides more than $1 million in annual operating and capital grant funding for handi-transit services to 68 communities through the Mobility Disadvantaged Transportation Program. The new regional incentive grants will provide additional funding to communities that support the delivery of regional handi-transit services.
Funding will be targeted initially to five communities including Selkirk, Gimli, Portage la Prairie, Stonewall and Teulon. The province will work with municipalities in the coming months to expand this new grant program to help support other communities operating regional services.
The funding is provided through the Building Manitoba Fund, Manitoba’s program for sharing provincial tax revenue with municipalities. Through the fund, municipalities receive transit and infrastructure funding equal to one percentage point of the provincial sales tax to ensure investments in transit and infrastructure grow as Manitoba’s economy grows, said Selinger.
- 30 -