CUTRIC Responds to The Speech from the Throne 2020–A Green & Transit-Friendly Budget for All
The following statement should be attributed to The Canadian Urban Transit Research & Innovation Consortium (CUTRIC) President and CEO Dr. Josipa Petrunic:
As a consortium dedicated to advancing mobility and transportation solutions required for a low-carbon economy, CUTRIC welcomes Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Speech from the Throne, which prioritizes the environment and inclusivity within Canada’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. We are pleased to see the Speech from the Throne outlines ambitious goals for Canada’s post-pandemic recovery, particularly with respect to ensuring a “clean” recovery and highlighting public transit as a critical component of the government’s plan to exceed Canada’s 2030 climate goals and reach net-zero emissions by 2050. We look forward to working with the federal government to ensure the right steps are taken to effectively implement the goals outlined in the Speech from the Throne.
CUTRIC recently put forward its bold and ambitious Five Point Plan to Build Back Better Public Transit, a set of policy recommendations to the federal government to secure cleaner public transit systems and smarter cities through technology innovation, emissions reductions initiatives, and advanced manufacturing right here in Canada. This will be achieved through initiatives like the new fund to attract zero-emissions investments to make Canada a world-leader in clean technology, which follows our recommendations.
The pandemic has illustrated the essential role of public transit in connecting our communities, which continue to operate within restrictive lockdowns so that frontline workers can support our most vulnerable.
Canada’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic is our opportunity to make strategic investments in public transit that help to scale-up local technology ecosystems, improve the connectivity of our communities, reduce our environmental footprint, and create well-paying jobs through economic development at a time when it is needed most.
CUTRIC and its members — including transit agencies, private industries, utilities, government agencies, academics and non-profit organizations — look forward to working with the Liberal government to accelerate a rapid transition to a low-carbon economy to the benefit of Canadians to protect the nature we treasure.
The Canadian Urban Transit Research & Innovation Consortium (CUTRIC)
The Canadian Urban Transit Research & Innovation Consortium (CUTRIC) is a socially responsible non-profit organization that spearheads, designs, and launches technology and commercialization projects that advance next-generation zero-carbon mobility and transportation solutions across Canada. It also develops low-cost simulation tools that help transit agencies across Canada and the United States predict how their electric buses, hydrogen fuel cell electric buses and autonomous smart vehicles (for first kilometre/last kilometre solutions) will operate in real-time on roads and in service.
These advancements help to grow the low-carbon and smart technology eco-system across Canada and North America, leading to job growth and economic development over the long-term.
CUTRIC’s work generates solutions that decrease fuel consumption, reduce emissions, reduce congestion, and improve the quality of life for mobility customers and transit riders.
In sum, CUTRIC supports the development and commercialization technologies required for a 21st century low-carbon green economy.
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