BILL NO. 460
(as introduced)
1st Session, 64th General Assembly
Nova Scotia
2 Charles III, 2024
Private Member's Bill
Free Public Transit Act
The Honourable Zach Churchill
Yarmouth
First Reading: September 5, 2024
Second Reading:
Third Reading:
An Act Respecting Free Public Transit
Be it enacted by the Governor and Assembly as follows:
1 This Act may be cited as the Free Public Transit Act.
"eligible community transit organization" means a community transit organization that agrees to remove public transit ridership fees and that meets any additional criteria established under subsection 3(4);
"eligible municipality" means a municipality, as defined in the Municipal Government Act, that agrees to remove public transit ridership fees;
"Fund" means the Free Public Transit Fund established by the Minister under subsection 3(1);
"Minister" means the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.
3 (1) Subject to Section 5, the Minister shall establish a Free Public Transit Fund for the purpose of enabling free public transit in the Province.
(2) The Fund must provide a mechanism for the Minister and eligible municipalities to enter into funding agreements that offer eligible municipalities
(a) funding, on a per-ride subsidy basis, to recover lost public transit ridership fees; and
(b) top-up funding to reflect increased ridership.
(3) The Fund must provide a mechanism for the Minister and eligible community transit organizations to enter into funding agreements that offer eligible community transit organizations funding to
(a) recover lost public transit ridership fees; and
(b) pay for any necessary capital upgrades due to the impacts of the Fund's establishment.
(4) The Minister may establish additional criteria for a community transit organization to meet in order to become an eligible community transit organization.
4 (1) The Governor in Council may make regulations respecting funding agreements under subsections 3(2) and (3).
(2) The exercise by the Governor in Council of the authority in subsection (1) is a regulation within the meaning of the Regulations Act.
5 The money required for the purpose of this Act must be paid out of money appropriated for that purpose by the Legislature.
This page and its contents published by the Office of the Legislative Counsel, Nova Scotia House of Assembly, and © 2024 Crown in right of Nova Scotia. Created September 5, 2024. Send comments to legc.office@novascotia.ca.
