Category Archives for "Northern Ontario"

Letter to Minister MacKinnon regarding concerns on 3 Ontario infrastructure projects

By Transport Action Ontario | Aviation , Highways and Bridges , Latest News , Northern Ontario

Transport Action Ontario has written to federal Minister of Transport MacKinnon regarding three provincial infrastructure projects that are concerning, in our view. The letter gives detailed rationales for our opinion. We recommended that any federal financial participation should be denied.

The three projects are:

• Proposed Highway 401 tunnel under the City of Toronto (ineffective and costly)
• Expansion and jet traffic at Billy Bishop airport, downtown Toronto (large impact, better alternatives)
• Ring of Fire transportation infrastructure (should do road + rail)

Our letter can be viewed below.

Petitions to Fund the “Bear Train”

By Transport Action Ontario | Intercity Rail and Bus , Latest News , Northern Ontario

The Coalition for Algoma Passenger Trains, along with other stakeholders, have initiated petitions to the federal and Ontario governments to each fund 50% of the cost to restore passenger train service between Sault Ste. Marie and Oba Lake, in the form of the Mask-wa Oo-ta-ban (Cree for “Bear Train”. Here are the details of the petitions and how to sign:

The Coalition for Algoma Passenger Trains (CAPT) is now launching official federal and Ontario provincial petitions in support of Mask-wa Oo-ta-ban, the Bear Train (the passenger train).   When the petitions are signed by June 12, 2026 they will be presented by our MP Terry Sheehan to the House of Commons and by MPP Bill Rosenberg to the Ontario Legislature. The petitions support Mask-wa Transportation Association Inc (MTA Inc)’s applications for federal and provincial funding for Phase 1 of the restoration of the passenger train from Sault Ste. Marie to the south end of Oba Lake.  After the Bear Train successfully runs in Phase I, MTA Inc. will apply for funding for Phase II which will be extended to Hearst For the federal government there are English and French electronic and paper petitions. These petitions can be signed by citizens of Canada. People can sign both the paper petition and the e-petition. Federal Electronic petition links:Petition e-7001 (English) Pétition e-7001 (Français)We have also included a printable sheet with information and a QR code to support access to the e-petition. Printable E-Petition QR code and information sheet link:Printable E-Petition QR code and information sheetThose signing the e-petitions will be required to verify their email address in order to authenticate the signature. If the email is not validated, the signature will not count towards the petition. Please widely share the links to the e-petition with friends, relatives, and contacts. Federal Paper Petition links:Printable Petition e-7001 (English)Printable Pétition e-7001 (Français)or For the Ontario government there are English and French paper petitions only, no electronic petitions. These petitions can be signed by residents of Ontario. Provincial Paper Petition links:Printable Bear Train Petition (English)Printable Bear Train Petition (Français)You can print blank English and/or French Federal and Provincial paper petitions and ask your friends, relatives and other contacts to sign them. Please sign a petition to the Federal Government AND a petition to the Ontario Government.  Signed paper petitions can be dropped off at the following locations: -In Dubreuilville at the Civic Centre -In Wawa at the Civic Centre -In Sault Ste. Marie at: (a) Missanabie Cree First Nation, 601 Queen St. East (northeast corner of Queen and Brock)  (b) Algoma Country (334 Bay St.), Monday to Friday, 9AM to 5PM (c) NORDIK Institute (Elgin Tower, 390 Bay St.) on Wednesdays, 9AM to 5PM -Paper petitions can also be mailed to Coalition for Algoma Passenger Trains, 1254 Queen St. East  Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario P6A 2E7 Thank you for your time, efforts, and energy. Your support of this petition, Mask-wa Oo-ta-ban (the Bear Train), and the return of passenger rail to the North is appreciated and helps support passenger rail getting back on track. CAPT will continue to keep you updated on a rolling basis.

Submission to Ontario 2026 Budget Consultations

By Transport Action Ontario | Community Transit , Highways and Bridges , Intercity Rail and Bus , Latest News , Northern Ontario , Southwestern Ontario , Urban Transit

Transport Action Ontario (TAO) has provided input into Ontario’s 2026 Budget as part of its consultation process. We limited our comments to public transportation needs. Our seven points are highlighted below:

• Increase Ontario Transit Investment Fund. This fund is intended to support rural intercommunity bus service and is inadequate to meet the demand of our many smaller and rural municipalities.
• Fund completion, publication and execution of the Southwestern Ontario Transportation Plan. This long-delayed plan needs to be finalized for this growing region.
• Introduce provincial banking of discontinued rail corridors, ie “rail bank”. Although Ontario has introduced a Short Line Railway Investment Tax Credit, it has not acted on the equally important issue of railway segments (often owned by short line railways) being discontinued and not preserved as transportation corridors.
• Deep dive into capital costs and procurement model for rapid transit in Ontario. Capital costs have been rising rapidly, threatening our ability to fund and construct additional important transit infrastructure.
• Cancel Highway 413 and the proposed Highway 401 tunnel. A recent report, coauthored by TAO, shows that rapid transit in this part of the GTA would be at least twice as cost-effective than Highway 413 for moving people and goods.
• Fund additions to “de-risk” the Northlander train service. We believe that auxiliary power should be available on each train, and that two sleeper cars should be added to each train set.
• New Revenue tools. Municipalities need new tools, such as a portion of the provincial sales tax or a land transfer tax. The province needs to test road pricing as a proven means of congestion reduction and revenue generation.

Our full submission can be viewed below.

Ontario Short Line Railway Investment Tax Credit

By Transport Action Ontario | Intercity Rail and Bus , Latest News , Northern Ontario , Southwestern Ontario

We are pleased to report that the Ontario Short Line Railway Investment Tax Credit has been implemented. Transport Action Ontario has long advocated for such measures. There are currently 11 short lines licensed to operate in Ontario, and they fill an important role in goods movement, strengthening local economies, and potentially hosting passenger rail.

Provincial support for short lines was first introduced at a high level in Budget 2024. Budget 2025 provided a detailed proposal, and the enabling legislation was passed in November, 2025. Amendments to the 2007 Taxation Act (section 97.3) are now in force.

The temporary (3-year) program offers a 50% refundable corporate income tax credit for eligible capital and labour costs related to track maintenance, capped at $8,500 per track-mile annually for expenses incurred between May 15, 2025 and December 31, 2029. The program is expected to cost $23 million over 3 years.

Adding a “Steel Road” to the Gravel Road Corridor for the Ring of Fire

By Transport Action Ontario | Intercity Rail and Bus , Latest News , Northern Ontario

Transport Action Ontario has sent a letter to the three First Nations that are leading the environmental assessments (EAs) on construction and operation of a gravel access road to the Ring of Fire. Our letter urged that the EAs include a heavy-haul rail line in the rail corridor, due to the strong business and social case.

Our letter can be viewed below.