TORONTO—The Canadian government is committing about $1.5 billion in funding to improve public transit in the Toronto area and for projects to cut greenhouse gas emissions in the province of Ontario.
Most of the money, which is in addition to separate provincial and municipal funding, will go to an 8.6 kilometer (5.3 mile) expansion of one of Toronto's main subway lines. Money was also earmarked to expand Toronto-area highways and build bus lanes.
"Traffic congestion has become one of the top issues in the (Toronto area)," Harper told an audience of about 200 in a converted airplane hangar in Toronto's north end, near the terminus of the subway line to be extended.
He cited research from the Toronto Board of Trade that claims traffic congestion in the greater Toronto area (GTA) costs about $2 billion a year in lost productivity.
"However, of all the problems caused by gridlock in the GTA, perhaps none is more detrimental than the toll on the environment," Harper said.
Green issues are seen as key for voters, and are expected to be central to an election campaign that some observers expect with the year. Harper has made a series of environment-related announcements over the past few months.
C$586 million of the funding will go to green initiatives in Ontario, including phasing out of the province's coal-fired generating stations, and building an electrical transmission link with the province of Manitoba to import hydroelectric power.
Harper said most of the transit money is from the previous budget, while the environmental money will be from year-end funds, meaning it's contingent on the March 19 budget passing in Parliament.
Such an outcome is far from guaranteed, as the ruling Conservatives hold only a minority of House of Commons seats. If the budget fails to pass, an election would be triggered.
Recent polls show the Conservatives have widened their lead over the main opposition Liberals, though they remain unlikely to win a majority.
However, despite signs that an imminent election might favor the Conservatives, Harper said he has no wish to send Canadians to the polls for what would be the third vote in three years.
"As you know, there's no election scheduled right now, and I'm not planning to have an election," he told reporters after the announcement.
Harper's Conservatives managed to win a handful of seats in the area around Toronto in last year's election. But they have yet to make a breakthrough in the city itself, which would likely be necessary in order to win a majority.
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